Anna Cates

October Horror

As if Highgate Cemetery in north London with its gravestones and lonely walkways were not scary enough, now a rare species of giant spider has been discovered lurking in its lightless vaults.
                 —  Dailymail.com, Jan 21, 2013

. . . I served as a cemetery groundskeeper for over a decade.  I can attest, on cold mornings, mist rises off the graves, reaches out, and grabs you!  You must watch your footing on patches of loose loam.  You might sink in, fall, or twist your ankle. 

Forgetting this and other things, I began to note, in the shadow of one monumental rock, a pattern, too intricate to describe.  It grew and grew, taking over, finally, becoming a part of me.

orb weaver ~
spinning a nest
in your head
the bewildered soul
so raw and wriggling

---

About the Author

Anna Cates lives in Ohio with her two cats, Freddie and Fifi, and teaches writing, literature, and graduate education online.  Her most recent poetry collections include The Golem & the Nazi (Red Moon Press) and The Journey (Wipf & Stock).