Tag Archives: Spiders

FF – Untangled

Photo credit – Sandra Crook

Untangled

My mother was the creative one. Her artwork drew crowds – masterpieces that balanced simplicity with complexity. She mothered us in her own way, but her pride and joy was always her non-living creations.

So I was the rogue. Spun out early, hunted chemical creativity and spiraled further out of control.

When she passed, she left only strands of a home and an intricate web of trauma to unpick in therapy.

At rehab, I had to attend Art Class. Silk Weaving, ironically. I was wary, but the motions came more naturally than I expected and with each strand, the healing began.

Extroduction

What an stunning picture from Sandra. I have been thinking a lot about spiders recently, after an interesting conversation with my therapist about my former fear of them and how I overcame it. Their webs really are the most beautiful of traps.

My story stems from that, and not from my own experiences – my mother was neither an artist nor a spider, and I have never been the rogue. So it’s fiction. As usual. Honestly, just assume everything I write is fiction, it’s easier that way!

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FF – Spinning a Tale

Photo credit – Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

Spinning a Tale

“Spiders aren’t scary,” Dad said, putting a cup over the tiny invader. “Without them, there’d be no stories.”

“No stories?” The idea was almost as scary as the spider.

“Sure. Legend says Anansi the Spider tricked the Sky-God into giving him the world’s stories.”

“What stories?”

“Every story there is.”

“That sounds made-up.”

“Maybe it is. Traditionally the story of Anansi starts like this, ‘We do not really mean that what we are about to say is true. A story; let it come, let it go.’”.

Ellie lifted the cup. “I suppose we’d better let it go. Just in case.”

Extroduction

The kids used to have a fabulous book of fairy tales from different cultures. I don’t remember Anansi in much detail, but it came back to me from Rochelle’s picture. You can read more here. Anansi is a tale from Ghana / Africa, and travelled to North America during the slave trade. Today is ‘Juneteenth’, a US celebration of the end of slavery and commemoration of all that led up to that change.

Another great cultural spider story!

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Voice Week #3

In the third part of my Voice Week submissions, here is another possible version of A Mother’s Legacy. Check out Monday’s post for Version 1 and an explanation of the project, then yesterday’s for Version 2. Today I’m stepping outside the main characters, and trying a different tone. As ever, I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments.

 

A Mother’s Legacy [The Spider]

Humanity bustles through, oblivious. They only ever notice us if they smash through our homes, tearing each carefully woven strand from its anchor point. Then they notice, oh yes. But they notice only their fear.

He’s the same. But she is different. Like me, she has given her all for her children and when she sees my creation, we are one for a moment. Then he speaks: “Come on, Mum. Let’s get you to the shore now.”

And she is no longer the proud and strong spider, but the terrified fly, caught in his snare and unable to break free.

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