OK, I have been out looking for spiders.  I have promised free spiders at the poetry book launch and I shall deliver.  Over the past couple of weeks, I have been to every $2 shop and craft shop in Wellington and today I have come home with several bags of plastic spiders, in varying lurid colours.  I thought it would be easier.  I thought there would sheet upon sheet of spider stickers and fake spider tattoos, that the craft shops would be full of little wooden spiders and fluffy spiders and spider stamps.  Alas, I was mistaken.  Some of the things I found didn’t even have the right number of legs (8 – they’re arachnids; if they have 6 legs they are either insects or differently abled).  And what is the deal with butterflies?  Butterflies galore; butterflies as far as the eye can see;butterly upon butterly upon sparkly, glittery butterfly, but a sad and inexplicable lack of spiders.

I like spiders.  I had a flatmate once (who shall remain nameless) who, despite spending his university holidays working at the freezing works, would call me if he came across a spider in the bath.  Personally, I was brought up to believe that spiders were worthy, fly-eating creatures and that, while it was permissable to vacuum up their uninhabited webs, the spiders themselves should be left to rebuild in the ceiling corners. 

If you want to read one of my spider poems, you can click here:

If you want a spider of your own, do come along to the Wellington version of the AUP New Poets 3 launch.  I’m hoping it will be at Mighty Mighty on Wednesday 13th August 2008, at 5:30pm, but right now I can’t get hold of Rich the Gig Booker to confirm.  Katherine Liddy is also planning a launch in Vancouver – so it’s a truly global publication.