Mikaela Castledine #6 Cirith Ungol

all the daily work of spiders
or nightly depending
is undone
almost without noticing
by us bullishly walking along
the regular migration routes
through the house
which you and presumably they
could easily see by tracking the paths
in the dust showing
on the floor boards in the afternoon sun

but give them
one week's advantage
while we are away
with the dust settling where it may
and they take the time
to strengthen every guy line
and double every sticky strand
on every route
where they think
they will catch us this time
when we walk unwittingly into their traps

luckily
our son and his girl
drop by the house
a few hours before our return
and fight their way through to the kitchen
he with a blue edged sword
she the light of Eärendil
and we are saved from a spidery entanglement
at least for now