Spider in the Toilet

 

In the claustrophobic cubicle

(the reason none other dare use it)

That is my exclusive toilet,

At the stroke of midnight

We engage in a silent conversation.

I sit on the seat, hardly a foot away from her.

Twisting myself awkwardly, I strain to focus.

in the dim light, her eyes twinkle

As the light of the headlamp lights her up.

I have known her ( or her ancestors) for long.

Very polite, seemingly embarrassed

Having to witness my nocturnal

Passage of the bowels, she pretends

To be busy with cleaning herself up.

Observing her through the camera

I am reminded of the many lonely nights

and days in toilets

I have spent in the company

of ants, spiders

Geckos and frogs

Who sit mute, still, watching me.

She isn't afraid of me; nor am I of her

In that companionable, comfortable

Camaraderie that I feel only with very few -

Dogs, dragonflies and arachnids of different hues.

A cubicle of a toilet is a safe place

For friends, outcasts, to come together.

****** . Balachandran V, Trivandrum 06.02.2019