Poems That Lie

I Always Lie

By Candace Shultz

I am drawing a picture.

The sky is green.

The grass is blue.

Up is down

And down is sideways.

The earth is square.

Mountains are flat.

The sun is cold.

Antarctica is hot.

My drawing has spiders in it.

Today is Day 16 of National Poetry Month, and I followed NaPoWriMo's prompt (who in turn got this prompt from Daisy Fried): write a ten-line poem where every line is a lie. I actually wrote two poems for this exercise. After writing my first poem, the last line inspired me to write the second poem.

I Love Spiders

By Candace Shultz

I love spiders.

I adore their beady eyes 

and their eight hairy legs.

I delight in them 

creeping about my house.

Spiders are my friends.

I'm happy with their webs 

clinging to my windows

and the corners of each room.

I get excited when they drop 

down with their spider silk, 

floating in front of my face.

I really enjoy their company.

I secretly hope they crawl 

all over me in my sleep.

I'd never squish them 

or throw them out the door.

I truly love spiders.