Josh Seymour’s most recent poem to appear here was “Laughing Serpent” (July 2017)

Karma
By Josh Seymour

While walking along a path through the woods,
I encountered a spider web amongst the reeds
growing beside a pond. This architectural marvel
was a sight to behold—its intertwining support
beams and its spiraling design captured my attention
immediately. Apparently, I was not the only
creature in the forest to appreciate its majesty, for
soon, a fly came buzzing through and was
entangled in the web’s aesthetic hold. The
vibrations stemming from the fly’s location—
which I assumed were from its applause towards
the architect—attracted the individual itself
and all eight legs appeared from their hiding place
to come and greet the new guest. A gracious host,
the spider must have anticipated that the breeze
blowing beside the pond would cause the fly some
discomfort and in prevention of this, it knitted
a full-body blanket specifically for its new
companion. Once the shivering insect was all
tucked in and cozy, the spider leaned in to give
it a final kiss goodnight. However, by giving
special attention to its guest, it did not realize
that another forest dweller had stopped by for
a visit. A long tongue shot through the reeds
and grasped the spider in a tight embrace—one
that might be seen between friends who had
not seen one another in quite some time. As if
in an instant, the whip-like tongue disappeared
and the affectionate bullfrog strolled back
towards his lair. I went to undress the fly from
its new silk pajamas, but I was too late—they must
have been too comfortable for the exhausted insect
because he did not seem to want to wake up. I suppose
I can’t blame him—it was such a beautiful summer day.