Here we are with Walt Whitman taking time to stand and stare!
Walt Whitman’s meditation upon the slow progression of a spider, bridging her movement from one isolated space to another, becomes a metaphor for the soul’s own progression through life and her relationships.
Human beings crave connection, need community and intimacy. The poem suggests we must, like the original spider of the poem, keep moving outwards from our own singularity and isolation, into a wider world and perspective. The freshness and richness of Whitman’s words reveal the postive resonance of such a movement.
I love the use of alliteration in this poem. It mirrors the delicacy of the movements of both spider and soul. Sound becomes visual, another connection between one form of being and another. Sensory openness seems enriching and poetically liberating.
Metaphors are after all, a wonderful way of connecting our own experience with that of another. How many relationships founder due to lack of metaphor? Metaphors are the bridges between you and I.
Whitman’s spider seems to know this very well!
Separation breeds anxiety and bias.
We need soul adventures every day!