The Spider in the Shower

There’s a spider in the shower,

It showed up there today,

It’s in the corner

Where wallpaper meets wallpaper meets wallpaper

And the flower-print-on-white paper peels a little bit.

The spider’s still in the shower

It’s three days later,

It only moves a little bit

It’s legs wiggling it from one inked on flower

To the next one

And back again

To it’s corner.

The spider’s in the shower

A week later

It doesn’t move anymore,

But it’s still hanging upside down

It’s legs as thin as fishing wire,

Black-gray like the sky last night at 4:57

And it’s little dot body.

Everyone’s worried about the elephants in their living rooms,

But I’m thinking about the spider in my shower,

How it died there

Because I didn’t bring it outside when I could have

Because I was afraid and I just wanted a hot shower

And how it will be there for a long long time

Until someone kinder and braver than me

Brings it outside and buries it

Or until it falls off the ceiling

And into the drain.

I’m worried about the spider in my shower

And how no one noticed it

Because everyone’s talking about elephants.