Index poe0005 Genre Poetry Author Teresa Middleton Date 08.08.01 Title ‘Cobwebs’ Cobwebs They hang like tattering from bedroom corners. Waves transparent spread and crest between windowpane and screen. They cling to impossible places-- the insides of lampshades, forgotten shoes, spaces between stairs. The ancients believed they linked spirit to nature, holding both together with thin elastic threads. Medieval villagers thought they absorbed illness, so they kept them in their homes to ward off the plague. I believe each is an exercise in rhythm and risk. The patient weaving of vision and essence, process embodied in small matrices. Spiders are experts at letting go, abandoning old webs without ego or fear. They leave trails of silk wherever they walk, and in low light their curious routes shimmer. Teresa Middleton