Spider With An Unsettling Grin
Ekphrastic poetry of sorts
Looks can be deceiving, like a spider with an unsettling grin
Smiles too can be deceiving, as they can hide evil and sin
Like the man with the puppies, sweets, and unsettling grin
He beckons you over, as he strokes his beard-covered chin
Promises he's kind and cares, flashing that unsettling grin
Your trust is what he wants, but his handshake hides a pin
Remember, looks can be deceiving, like a spider with an unsettling grin
*
Thanks for reading. This is my first attempt at ekphrastic poetry. I was looking at some disturbing art (as you do) and came across this subtle masterpiece by Odilon Redon in 1881.
A symbolist charcoal drawing, this first struck me as odd for obvious reasons - it has 10 legs. Then I noticed that slight but very clear smile on the spider's face. Creepy, but very clever.
So I let inspiration take the wheel.
I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, I would appreciate it if you clicked the heart, left a comment or did both. I really enjoy finding out what people thought about my work. You can also subscribe to me.
You may also enjoy these other pieces:
An entry into the Uncommon Challenge:
Another entry into the Uncommon Challenge:
One of my many entries into the Quadru-Haiku Challenge:
You can also take a look at my other work here.
About the Creator
Paul Stewart
Award-Winning Writer, Poet, Scottish-Italian, Subversive.
The Accidental Poet - Poetry Collection out now!
Streams and Scratches in My Mind coming soon!
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Comments (11)
HAHA! I love this!!! Great rhythm and a perfect lesson. The picture is fantastic and the poem continued to perfectly paint the picture of that hilarious little grin! I actually love spiders and all bugs. I'm currently having my children's book illustrated and the main character is a spider, although there are lots of other fun little crawly guys in there too.
I love Odilon Redon's spider and your right that smile is creepy. You poem captures that sort of creepiness. Great job!!!
This is so good, it makes my skin crawl. 🕷
This makes me think of David Firth flash animation. I LOVE his animation. Salad fingers, baby! Lol Anyway, love this. I love spiders so very much.
Omg this is AMAZING! As you might have noticed from my work, I love darker stories and poems! This is officially my favorite poem! LOVE IT!
Wow, great job 👏
That was kind of creepy and I loved it. Well done.
Ooooo, this was so fantastic! I loved the rhythm of this poem. I have trust issues and if something can smile, I'll never trust it, especially humans, lol!
This was clever and indeed a bit creepy (but cool!). I loved it and how you literally gave an example of everything - wonderful imagery :)
This paired so nicely with the picture! It does indeed have a creepy little grin. I liked your repetition of the word 'grin' that kept drawing attention back to the artwork. Nicely done!
very interesting buddy, you’re smoking the presses today 😂😂 good job