edited by Sebastian Paramo
Our featured writer this week was hand-selected by Spiderweb’s assistant editor and all-around longtime poetfriend Sebastian Paramo! If you’re the writing type, you won’t want to miss our Happy Hour Poetry Workshop led by Sebastian and Caitlin Pryor on Saturday, April 28 from 4-6 p.m.
We’re pleased to welcome Megan J. Arlett to our features collection with her poem, "The Cabin". Megan is relatively new to Texas and is currently working on her PhD at the University of North Texas for Literature and Creative Writing. She has an MFA in Poetry from Florida International University where she was the creative nonfiction editor at Gulf Stream Literary Magazine. While Megan hasn’t yet performed at a Spiderweb showcase, we look forward to having her join us on the stage very soon! And it’s worth noting that Megan, like us, is a firm believer in the Oxford comma.
On to "The Cabin"! What inspired Megan to write this poem? We’ve got answers from the poet herself:
“Baking, light pollution, and deconstruction. Yes, I was surprised too. I've always lived in densely populated places and it was only last summer in the Poconos that I saw a proper night sky for the first time. I highly recommend it.” Enjoy!
The Cabin
Last night the bears came
licked marshmallow cobwebs from the grate
we left to cool beside the fire
what did they think of those sugary ghosts
here the city lights a forgotten foghorn
the stars flour strewn upon a countertop
I will knead dough on it
I will bake pastries
and the cookies you crave
the ones
with chocolates tucked inside them
I’ll make those too
chopping wood for fire you said
I’m deconstructing nature
and I thought how I would like to deconstruct
you
take you to pieces and eat you up
Megan J. Arlett was born in the UK, grew up in Spain, and now lives in Texas where she is pursuing her PhD. She is an editor at the Plath Poetry Project and her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Best New British and Irish Poets, Ninth Letter, Poet Lore, Third Coast, and elsewhere.
Want us to feature your work? Send us your favorites at our submissions page here.
Megan J. Arlett | photo by Sebastian Paramo