12 Dec For Aviva, Because I Love Her

For Aviva, Because I Love Her

by Irving Layton

I saw a spider eating a huge bee
First he ate my limbs
And then he removed my head
Feasting on the quivering jellies of my eyes
And on what passes among bees for ears

And, though dead,
I could feel with each morsel he had
That he enjoyed his repast
And I was glad

Afterwards, he sliced me down the middle
Exposing my insides to the burning midday heat

And slowly, the voluptuous spider feasted
On my jeweled organs,
Abolishing them one by one
Till I was all gone,
All swallowed up,
All except for my love of you

My radiant wings,
These, ah these he did not touch,
But left glinting in the sun.