A tiny umbrella spider
fastened his thread of pearl
to a water fern
and jumped...
PLOP!
He fell into the swirling water
and was swept away.
Next day
he was there again -
same place, same fern.
He jumped again...
PLOP!
This time the current was stronger.
He nearly drowned.
Next day,
he was there again.
This time he crawled
to the very edge of the fern's green lace
and studied the water
for a long, long time.
Then he began to bounce
up and down,
up and down on that tiny fern
till it rose really high.
When he finally let go...
HE MADE IT!
(holding on tight to his pearly umbrella)
and was carried all the long way to the opposite bank.
And so began the widest pearl net in all the world.
This poem was inspired by 'The Education of Little Tree' by Forrest Carter - one of the most beautiful books I've ever read.
Alison Cassidy
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/arachnological-persistence/
