The Night Of The Tarantula

The Star of the Sun had ruled the day, in her most ardent and fire casting rays
as they seemed to bounce from tile roof to tile roof in play as the girls in their dresses and the men in their shirt coats began to feel the passions of the music that was being played.

Couples were defined by the way they intertwined their bodies in the dances of the love of their land
Women in skirts layered in colors of all known dyes swirled and twirled as the men drew them back to their sides.

Twilight soon tried to pale the sky but the fires of the festival drove back the night's shadows
Till one by one they would disappear to find solace for their desires in the sheds and barns near.

Mexican guitars filled the night now with rhythms faster, magic was being woven till in the night
A Young Woman's scream all was shattered, she ran out of a shed with ebony hair free and wild

Time stopped - somewhere a word was said in quiet horrific reverence - Tarantula -
And the tears of the young woman were the answer they needed and did get

With the wine of the night still infused in their brains, the one guitarist began to play a song that seemed to be moaning in its tone, a fiddle picked up the beat and the young women's feet followed

She began by entering the circle of the fires, flames rose as she danced, following the music as it was urged on by her needs to become free and wild.
Sweat broke on her brow, but the music did not stop, but only increased its insistence for her to follow

Round and round she twirled, each circle faster than the last, now her face was glistening in the light the flames cast
Still when breath seemed to hard to find she kept on moving, feeling her body respond

The passion of her dance was as two wild things mating, she was caught up in it and the only salvation was the completion of the dance of life or death, as she swirled and twirled part of the faster now played notes

Forever passed, or so it seemed, but surely she had been dancing for at least half of an hourglass's turning, paying ner mind to the exhaustion in her form, she continued on, now even her bodice was soaked.

Rosiness turned to redness in her cheeks angled and soft, shadows cast upon them the color of gray paleness, bare feet of the dancer though knew their marks, and she would die dancing or die trying.

Flames leaped up and another was revealed, her young suitor from the shed had appeared, he watched and then he knelt on his knees, laying his face on the ground, begging his indiscretion would not be paid for in death.

After what was hours but truly just one in whole, the dancer stumbled on her feet and towards the ground fell, her lover leaped up and caught her in his arms, his eyes met her's searching for the poison to be gone

She lifted a hand pale and barely full of strength to his cheek and her words settled into him with both a chill and realization as she spoke in staggered words of her dreams she had had
And her young suitor lowered his head and let his tears wash dry clean her dirt coated face as he whispered back.

"Left to myself forever I shall be, Doomed by my own selfishness and greed. She took the bite of the spider in the hay, she pushed me out of the bringer of Death's way."

The music slowed to a soft and gentle background of whispers on the night breeze
The Night of the Tarantula listened not to the pleads of her body to rid itself of its sting.
The Night of the Tarantula - May you never feel its grief.

K

11/30/05