Bitsy

small strider on a fine filament
barely wider than a thought
graceful glider dropping to the floor
she prides herself in catching all her friends
and eating them forthwith
their bitter taste is what she craves

the local fly saloon cuts short its hours
when tough Brown Bitsy comes to town
the thuds of windows slamming
jars her nerves in the gray afternoon

her bite inflames the human ankle
it burns a vivid red
without her friends
and with a useless girdle
the lonely spider hides herself again