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 "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.