In our house
which plays host to many spiders,
I fully concede
that my choice
of Arachnophobia
for Family Movie Night
may have been
poor at best.
But I am not responsible
in the least
for this morning
when the youngest child
screamed from
her bath
not out of fear
but indignation that this creature
waltzing up the tile
is called a Daddy Long Legs
when clearly
it could be a mommy
or even a child
for that matter.
Candice Kelsey is a passionate educator of 18 years. Her poems have been published in The Cortland Review, Burningword Literary Journal, 13th Floor Magazine, Wilderness House, Leveler, and Assaracus; she has read at various LitQuake and open mic events from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Candice is also the author of a book exploring social media’s impact on adolescent identity. She earned her master’s degree in literature from Loyola Marymount and is an Ohio native who carves out life in Los Angeles with the help of her three children.