Flash Post 186!

“Will you walk into my parlour?” Said the spider to the fly,
‘Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy.
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
and I have many curious things to show you when you are there.”
“Oh, no, no, said the fly, “to ask me is in vain;
For who goes up your winding stair can ne’er come down again.”

I can see it’s a poem and it’s about a spider and a fly.

You’re absolutely right, Button. It’s a long poem and I have quoted just the first stanza for you. It’s a story where a spider is trying his best to entice a little fly into his den so he can make a meal out of her. The poem was originally written by Hans Christian Andersen and translated by Mary Howitt way back in 1829.

But why are you quoting these lines from the poem to me?

I am because I walked into a similar trap this morning while taking a walk in my garden to have a little chat with my plant friends.

Surely the spider wasn’t looking at making a meal out of you!

Who knows! Maybe, he just tried.

And did he succeed in trapping the fly?

He did and pats himself later for being the cleverer one.

That’s sad.

I remember reciting this poem in school for an elocution contest and winning the first prize.