A Tangled Web

by C2

ever wonder why a spider
never sticks in her own web?
it's obvious she won't
but lately the "why" has bothered me
so I decided to look it up.

turns out only the connecting strands
of these intricately patterned webs
are spun with an adhesive glue
designed, to among other things,
buy time

the main spokes which she uses
for navigation and the center
where she sits and waits
for the vibration of another creature's panic
are all dry silk

in essence, once the manufacture
of her wiry entanglement's complete,
a policy of minimal body contact employed,
she simply moves to the non-stick center
and waits

waits for the miscalculation of an errant moth
drawn over water to the boathouse light
or dragonflies lost in play
searching shadows for the warm surface
of the fish-cleaning sink

yet after all that work and subterfuge
nothing guarantees her snare's success
no bait or scent or hidden trapdoor
like retail or a sidewalk sale
it all comes down to location and traffic

a numbers game as they say

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