An Editor's Review of Andrew Brown's poem, "Spider Skin"

Like the swelling from a bleeding Comes the telling of my needing The flesh that it resides within Is like a shell of spider skin

The web is woven over and over Spreading like a leafy clover Over the blackest soil of my mind There, the tracks of me you'll find Upon the trail into the woods Are those paws inside that hood?

Off to grandma's house I go Into a forest I've always known Filled with shadows and ghoulish things Inside the hallows of foolish dreams So comes the branding from the campfire

No one understands a young vampire In science books, from all we've gathered Until someone looks, it doesn't matter Can you forgive the beast within That lives within this spider skin?

© Andrew Brown

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"Spider Skin" by Andrew Brown, explores dualities between inner nature and outer appearance. He uses spider imagery as a metaphor for fragility and concealment, with the web representing complex entanglements of the self.

His narrative shifts between natural imagery and fairy tale references (notably 'Little Red Riding Hood's journey through the woods'), creating a sense of familiar danger. These allusions, combined with vampire imagery, conveys that the feeling of being misunderstood differently or excluded - harbors something within, the society might reject.

His final question, "Can you forgive the beast that lives within this spider skin?" reads as a vulnerable plea for acceptance of one's complete self, including the darker aspects that remain hidden beneath a fragile exterior. Quite the compelling poem, as it essentially examines the struggles between our public personas and private truths.