The Spectre Spiders

Ephraim Goldstein was not well liked by his neighbors.
He was never friendly and always a complainer.
One day, this real grouch wondered about his eyes.
He was seeing black things with strings day and night.

Then they would disappear after a second or two,
So Ephraim Goldstein thought he knew what to do.
But the oculist said: “Your sight is just fine.
It suggests stress, perhaps you need more free time.”

His stress had left him when he divorced a virago.
That was years ago, and now he was in fine fettle.
So Ephraim left the office with mixed emotions.
He still had no answer for his those black visions.

As time passed, these strange string-things grew larger.
The stayed longer, and they seemed to grow in number.
He bought a small terrier to keep him company,
But the terror he felt was increasing daily.

Then he saw white string-like things on a parlor chair.
These threads soon were here, there, and everywhere.
It was impossible to remove them with a broom.
He felt as if he were under a pendulum of doom.

He decided to move out of the house the next day,
But overnight, these horrible things got in his way.
He and his dog were found completely drained dry.
They were tightly bound and missing their eyes.

Ron Larson is a retired community college professor (Ph.D.), and one of his hobbies is writing all kinds of poetry. His poem above is from his self-published book, "79 More Strange Stories Outlined in Rhyme." The book is available online, and the poem has not been submitted elsewhere. His web site is: ronlarsonclassics.com. His email is: patronlarson@gmail.com.

Find more by Ron Larson in the Author Index.

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