Turning on the shower this morning,

bleary-eyed and sleepy still, I spied

a charmingly awkward Daddy Long Legs

 

Whenever I encounter them

it seems as if they’re quarreling

with their circumstances,

trying to get where they want to be

with their uncertain, stop-and-start gait

 

This one, now wrestling with hazards

I had just carelessly introduced,

near the fearsome and unforgiving drain

 

I plucked it as gently as I could,

away from the torrent so it could continue

to go about its arachnid business

unharmed, whatever that might be

 

Having performed this small rescue

I thought to wish the creature good fortune

as we both went about our morning

with gratitude for the kindness

we sometimes unexpectedly receive