Sticky Tangles

Cherry

By Rhiannonw

Tue, 13 Jan 2026
  • 205 reads
7 comments
 

The spider spins
its sticky silk
a web to weave
to catch its prey;

but she who spins to weave
a web of tangled lies
to catch, deceive,
will but achieve
that she it is who's trapped,
caught, wrapped
in silky lies
that stick and trip to further slip:
unwise.

cf "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!"  from Sir Walter Scott's epic poem "Marmion" (Canto VI, Stanza 17), published in 1808.

[IP: spinning]

Certificate U
Poem
Miscellaneous
Philosophy
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by insertponceyfre... on

This is a great IP response and a real tongue twister - thank you Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

thank you! I do enjoy doing some tongue-twisitng! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Nolan on

Yes Rhiannon, and a half-truth is the most dangerous lie, I have read as a definition for “honesty” as, “the absence of the intent to deceive”.

Keep well! & Nolan

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you. The feeling of trust and openness is always delightful. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

thank you for the cherries. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

I enjoyed this Rhiannon - it took me a couple of goes reading aloud to get my tongue round all the twisters! Lovely IP response.

(As a confirmed arachnophobe, I'm glad there's only a very tiny spider in your picture!)

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

thank you! Glad it proved a bit of a challenge. I do actually like spiders, but wary of those that might have come in with the bananas! Rhiannon