(London, U.K.)

What do you think this poem is about?

A leggy woman

I'm black and I'm scary
I'm fast and I'm hairy,
my legs are all skinny,
my body is fat.
Most women hate me
their men folk all chase me
as then underfoot
they make me go crack!

If I take a husband
I'll have lots of babies
and then when he dies
I'll gobble him all up.
Well I'm not sentimental
my head rules my heart
and I'd rather be single
than hungry by far!

I'm a spider lets face it
and though I could lace it
with fine woven webs from
here to Hong Kong.
I'm a whore pure and simple
I haven't a dimple
and just like a pimple
you'd all like me gone!

Submitted: Friday, August 03, 2012
Edited: Monday, February 11, 2013

Poet's Notes about The Poem

I was sitting on my sofa one evening and I heard (I'm not jesting) a clip clop along the laminated flooring and then saw two hairy legs, then a few more climbing up my sofa. I captured the beasty and put her in the garden which led me to writing this poem.

Comments about this poem (A leggy woman by Ruth Walters )

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  • Bri Edwards (2/11/2013 5:50:00 AM)

    first i thought this poem wasn't so good. by the time i read it the third time i realized spider was to be taken literally! ! ! and THEN i got it. i'm so glad i did. wonderful.........for anyone familiar with the species. i believe i've only seen one once, in a shed out West, here in u.s.a. thanks for sharing. i'm staying up super late tonight and spending mega-hours on this site; my wife is away for the night....and hopefully most of the morning so i can sleep late. if she could see me now SHE might eat me alive! ! !
    p.s. danny kind of lost me near the end of his comment on your poem

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  • Danny Draper (8/24/2012 9:00:00 AM)

    The feminine anthropomophisation of the character is sensuous while her ultra persona is strong but aware that as a spider her presence is despised an feared, sounds just lime the trouble some opposition some strong women face great metaphor.

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