The Giant Spider [15 words or less poems]

Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines are here)!

Giant spider by road (sculpture)

Well, I think I’ve used this photo before, but I honestly can’t recall…and if I did, it was several years ago. So, I’m going to use it! This sculpture called Maman, by Louise Bourgeois, makes me think:

  1. I need a bigger fly-swatter.
  2. War of the worlds.
  3. Size matters.

Here’s my first draft.

The Giant Spider

It’s your turn! Have fun and stick to 15 WORDS OR LESS! (Title doesn’t count toward word count:>) If you leave a poem in the comments, and if it’s 15 words or less, I’ll try to respond!

38 Responses

  1. Love “black firework of death”!
    Going to have to get used to this new site! I’m having a hard time on the main page — too much movement with the slideshow to focus on finding things! But maybe that’s just me!

    Iron Dandelion

    With clunk resounding
    This seed astounding
    No breeze could lift
    No ant could shift

    1. This didn’t sound finished…added one more word for 15.

      Iron Dandelion

      With clunk resounding,
      This seed astounding -
      No breeze could lift,
      No ant could shift -
      Landed

      1. Great, unique twist. Iron Dandelion–sounds like a name for a spaceship meant to explore the galaxy or something. Perhaps wind-powered…

  2. A Parent’s Worst Nightmare

    I’ll feed it
    house it
    love it too
    but draw the line
    with trendy shoes!

    Laura, congrats on your new blog. The post did not come to me automatically. I searched for it. Do we need to sign up again in order to receive the new version?

      1. Thank you Ellie. Yes, you assumed correctly, the voice of a mom with a son who outgrew his dad by the time he was twelve. He is now the father of an adult son and lived through the same scenarios. I had a shoe salesman tell me he had never had a customer who grew out of shoes so quickly. What goes around comes around.

    1. Hehehe–8 new pair of shoes, that would be tough (if that’s what you meant).

      I am working with Jetpack right now. It imported my subscribers, supposedly, but nobody’s getting emails. I hope to hear back from Support today. I’m hoping folks won’t have to resubscribe, and I’m not recommending it yet because it would pry just get wiped out when the old list DOES get activated. But no harm done if you do resubscribe. Sorry for the inconvenience.

      1. Not a problem at all. I know what you are doing is not without a few hurdles. I am fine with it as is. Yes, I was talking about the “must have shoes,” and hopefully four pairs would suffice, if I were of a mind to give in! 😉

  3. Small is scary enough
    Giant is pretty rough
    It is just lucky
    I am tough !

    Anne McKenna

  4. I remember this fantastic picture and found it posted June 3, 2010. I had to go back and see what I had written then versus now.
    Love yours, Laura. I think “hammering heart” inspired mine.

    Sorry to Scare You

    On tippy-toes
    I try
    to sneak by
    quietly -

    still some scream
    and run from me.

    1. Aw, now I feel a little bit sorry for the spider. I love that first line…makes the spider seem so childlike and innocent!

      And, can’t believe you went back and hunted! Did you read your old poem before or after you wrote this one?

      1. I wrote the new one first, then went back and found the old one. I have every poem I’ve ever written for 15 WOL in a file and on paper so the search was easy. I can’t thank you enough for the weekly inspiration!

        The new site looks nice. I hope when all the bugs are worked out, it remembers my email and name. I have to type it in for every comment today.

        1. Thanks, ellie. And smart to keep them all, because I’m probably going to dump a few years’ worth of posts soon. The ones from my early years (2007–2009 or 2010) have terrible formatting from when I switched blog platforms, etc.

          I hope so, too, about your name. I wonder what the deal is? The blog was already WordPress, just inside of a non-Wordpress site. Now my whole site is WordPress. It’s going to take me a good month‑6 weeks to get things up to snuff. Hopefully it will sort out by then. Of course, there are some blogs I visit that I have to sign in every single time. I’ll add this to my “check on” list:>)

    1. Nice contrast between the size and “Delicately.” That delicateness is one of the things that freaks me out about spiders!

  5. Love your poem, especially: explosions of fear!

    Run for your life!
    Run, run, run,
    before you’re caught
    and the web is spun!

    1. Oooh, those last two lines–I think it’s partially the passive voice in the last line–make me hear an old-time narrator of a scary radio show or something!

  6. I Love your first line I don’t like spiders

    SPIDERS

    Spiders spinning
    pulling parachuting
    Insects invisible web
    dangerous
    enormous
    rabbit rear replica
    silent silver statue

    Poem By Jessica Bigi

    1. I love “parachuting!” I didn’t quite understand the next to the last line, but, then, that’s poetry for you!

      1. rabbet as in rabies rear as in a spider acetyl that size replace as to look like something 🙂

  7. I remember this one–How can it really be 5 years ago??

    Today’s Effort:

    Spindly legs
    testing lines,
    welcoming guests
    (they smell divine)
    wrapping them tightly,
    ready to dine.

    And then I checked my files:

    Shadow Dance (06.03.10)

    On spindly legs
    you skitter, you scour;
    inspect your trap;
    unwrap; devour.

    1. I hope not…trying to get the subscribers all imported. It says they were, but nobody’s getting email notifications. Waiting to hear from Support!

  8. Giant Spider

    Wish I could dance, prance and smoothly streak
    Hard to do with four left feet.

  9. TWIST OF FATE

    Spider on the ground,
    Does your little heart pound…
    When you see
    creepy-crawlies like me?

    Ellen Vojnovic

    I thought it would be fun to turn the tables to see if the boy could understand how he might look to a spider or how a spider might feel when it encounters humans…

    1. Nice reversal, Ellen! “little heart pound”–great word choices to make me feel sympathy for the spider.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,499 other subscribers

Are You Looking For?

Poetry Friday posts

Classroom Connections posts

All my poetryactions

Go to my Poetry page for:

  • National Poetry Month projects through the years
  • Small Reads Roundups (poems grouped by topic)
  • Introductions to several favorite poetry forms
Tags
#waterpoemproject15 Words or Less Poems20for2030 Painless Classroom Poems50 State Poemsacrosticsactivity pagesactivity sheetALAA Leaf Can Be...Amy Ludwig VanDerwaterA Need to FeedanthologiesanthologyA Rock Can Be...art projectsaudiopoemsawardsbad newsBarbara Juster EsbensenBilly Collinsbiopoemsblog tourbookalikesbook festivalsBookSpeak!book spine poemsbook trailersbop poembyr a thoddaidcafepresscalendar poemsCamp Read-a-LotCan Be... bookscan be... poemsCapstoneCarol Varsalonacascade poemsCatherine FlynnCCRA.W.3CCRA.W.4CCRA.W.5centoschapter bookschoral compositionschristina rossetticinquainsCLAclassified ad poemsclassroom connectionclassroom connectionsClover Kittyconferences and conventionscrown sonnetscybilsdansaDare to DreamDavid Elliottdeeper wisdom poemdefinitosdiamantesdiversitydizaindodoitsuDot DayDouglas Floriandownloadablesdrum corpse.e. cummingsekphrastic poemsepistolary poemsequation poemsessentialethereeseventsexquisite corpseFairy Tale Garage Salefamilyfibonaccifiction picture booksfinding familyfirefightersforeign editionsfound poemsfree author zoomsfree versefrom studentsgeesegeorgia heardghazalGift Taggiveawaygolden shovelgoldilocksgratitudehaikuheart of aheart of a teacherHeidi MordhorstHelen FrostHighlightshow-to poemshow to make a rainbowI Am FromI Am poemsidiomsif you want to knit some mittensIf You Were the MoonILAimagepoemsinterviewin the middle of the nightIRAIrelandIrene LathamJ. Patrick LewisJanet WongJoyce SidmanKendraKerlanKidlit Comboslailaura's board booksLaura's booksLaura's poemsLaura's readingsLaura ShovanLee Bennett HopkinsLilian MoorelimericksLinda Booth SweeneyLion of the Skylist poemslittle free librarylive writingLullaby and Kisses Sweetlyricsmadness poetrymargaret simonMarilyn Singermary lee hahnmask poemsMeet My FamilyMelissa StewartMentors for Rentmentor textsmetaphorMichelle Myers LacknerMillbrookMinnesota Book Awardsmoonmy reading lifemy writing processN+7naaninarrative poemsNational Poetry Month 2012 (haiku a day)National Poetry Month 2014 (riddle-ku)National Poetry Month 2015National Poetry Month 2016National Poetry Month 2017 (#wonderbreak)national poetry month 2018 (haiku a day)National Poetry Month 2020National Poetry Month 2021 (#EquationPoem)national poetry month 2022 (sticky-note poems)National Poetry Month 2023 (Digging for Poems)ncteNerdy Book Clubnifty newsnifty stuffNikki Grimesnonfictionnonfiction booksNonfiction Writers Dig Deepnovelsnovels in verseodesOne Minute Till BedtimeoppositifyOskar's VoyagepadletpantoumsparodiesPatreonpeacepersonalpet poemsphotopoetryphrase acrosticspicture booksplagiarismpoempicspoemspoems for two voicespoemsketchpoetic pursuitsPoetry 7poetryactionspoetry activitiesPoetry Blastpoetry booksPoetry FridayPoetry Friday AnthologiesPoetry Princessespoetry promptspoetry sistersPoetry Tips for Teachersprogressive poempublishing processpuddle songPutridquotationsraccontinosRandy Salasread-aloudreadaloudreading poetry in the classroomRebecca Kai Dotlichrecipe poemsrefugeesresearchreviewsrevisionrhyming booksrhyming nonfictionrhyming picture booksRhyming Picture Books the Write Wayrhyming poemsRiddle-kuriddle poemsRock Can Be...Rock the Blogrondeau redoublesRudyard Kiplingsalas snippetsSCBWIschool visitsScotlandseasonssecrets of the loonSELsestinasshrinking daysskinnyskypeslice of lifesmall readssnack snooze skedaddlesnowman-coldsonnetsStampede!storm poemstorytimestorywalkstudent poemsstudent workSylvia VardellTanita Davistankatautogramteachableteacher resourcesteen/adult poemsterza rimasthankfulthank yous and referencesthe business sidethings to do iftracy nelson maurertrioletstunie munson-bensonvideosVikram MadanvillanellevillanellesWater Can Be...wealthy elementaryWe BelongWhat's InsideWhy-kuwinterwonderwonderbreakword of the yearwordplaywordsmithswork for hirewritingwriting bookswriting processwriting promptswriting the life poeticyoung authors conferencesYouTubeZap Clap Boomzenozentangle
Show More Show Less

Join Laura's monthly newsletter for eductators

Get three of Laura's favorite poetry activities when you subscribe to "Small Reads."