When I think about fear, I think of my irrational fear of spiders
If fear is the natural reaction to moving closer to the truth
like Pema Chodron once said
then what truth about spiders am I so scared to move towards?
Is it the idea that spiders are—
for the most part—
harmless? And does that spider fear me?
They always say that bugs are more afraid of you than you are of them
Does the spider fear me because it too is moving closer—
both figuratively and physically—
to me and my truth? The truth that I will either squish it with a shoe
or spray it enough with ant killer?
What should I do when I’m scared?
What does the spider do when it’s scared?
The spider might be scared and yet, it’s moving closer
which is exactly what I must do.
From the Author
My name is Alyssa Riley, I’m an HCOM major, concentrating in both creative writing and social action & writing and rhetoric, and I am a third year.
