Because I got sick this week, I missed that four days ago, the great poet Nikki Giovanni died. She is probably my favorite poet of all time and I’ve certainly shared her poetry on this site before because of that. Her words held such power and will continue on long after her, but I am still sad that she’s gone from this world. So I leave you with one of my favs, which is about so much more than spiders…

Allowables
By Nikki Giovanni

I killed a spider
Not a murderous brown recluse
Nor even a black widow
And if the truth were told this
Was only a small
Sort of papery spider
Who should have run
When I picked up the book
But she didn’t
And she scared me
And I smashed her

I don’t think
I’m allowed

To kill something

Because I am

Frightened