An Odd Courting (A 100-Word Story)

I assure you, I did nothing to encourage him. I was simply kneeling trailside, counting petals on a flower — he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not. Then I heard him approach, footstepping through memories of trees scattered across the forest floor. In his camouflage, I recognized fear and wonder, the wild and unpredictable nature of things, the magic of connection. There was no amorous announcement to my ear, but a sound, a something sound I could not believe. So as not to dash his hopes, I left quietly, wondering: do spiders really sing?

A true story. Poem ©2017, Jen Payne. National Poetry Month, 14. Image: Princess Sotoori and Spider from the Series Zuihitsu (Essays) by Ogata Gekko, 1887. Click here to listen to the singing I heard: “Listen to The Creepy Sounds Spiders Make When They Want Sex.”