Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

[osprey_archer]

A poem for the 2011 Newbery Honor book Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night.

Night-Spider’s Advice
By Joyce Sidman

Build a frame
and stick to it,
I always say.
Life’s a circle.
Just keep going around.
Do you work, then
sit back and see
what falls in your lap.
Eat your triumphs,
eat your mistakes:
that way your belly
will always be full.
Use what you have.
Rest when you need to.
Dawn will come soon enough.
Someone has to remake
the world each night.
It might as well be you.

Comments

[amara1783]

Here via network, thanks for posting this; I really needed to read it :)

[osprey_archer]

I posted it because I figured someone would. It's that kind of poem.

[asakiyume]

Really wonderful--love that it contains both the make-your-own-fortune and see-what-life-brings-you wisdom, and the end is just perfect.

[osprey_archer]

It knocked my socks off when I read it in the book. Lovely.

[ancientreader]

I like this especially well when I remind myself that the voice is that of a small patient carnivore.

[osprey_archer]

Ha, yes, there's definitely good life advice here, but also... it's totally on point for a spider.

[brigdh]

Oh, wow. Fantastic.

[osprey_archer]

I read it and I just had to share.