Charlotte is a teeny spider

with eight eyes

as dark as the night.

They shine with a grand spark for life,

for a kiss during twilight.

 

Charlotte wanted love

in her lonely world,

and she thought it would be enough.

 

Sometimes the little spider

got sick with itchy eyes,

a fever running high,

and mosquito bite hives.

But Charlotte always strived

to get better and right.

 

She’s as strong as Hercules

with webs to match.

Charlotte can catch anything,

even catch insects hard to snatch.

 

On the spider TV,

Charlotte would always see…

kisses filled with magic−

the ones that made spiders dream,

made spiders shoot for the sky

even though they couldn’t fly

except on the long winds.

 

One night,

as Charlotte dreamed of spider kisses,

the prince of spiders

fell from the tip-top branches

high above and landed

in her fresh, new web.

 

“Hey!” Charlotte yelled.

 

“I’m sorry!” the prince shouted,

getting more tangled

in her silky strands.

 

“Don’t you know how to get out?”

 

“No,” he moaned, “my mom

always makes my webs…

I don’t know what to do,” he sighed.

 

“Don’t do that!” Charlotte scurried over

before he cocooned himself.

 

“Please help, I’m scared!

I don’t know where I am…”

 

“It’s okay. I’ll help you.”

 

Charlotte quickly freed him but

the prince slipped!

 

She caught him just in time.

 

“Ah!” Charlotte shrieks,

“You almost fell!”
 

“Again,” the prince groans,

“The palace is too high up for me.”

 

“Palace?”

 

“Up there,”

he pointed one leg.

 

It was the land of above

where spiders were free

to do anything.

They had no dangers,

these royalties.

They ate as much as they could see,

never got sick,

never got lonely.

A spider princess

could get a kiss

whenever she wanted it.

 

This is what Charlotte had thought.

 

“Who are you?”

 

“I’m Prince Tarantella.”

 

“Oh my gosh!” Charlotte gasped.

 

“Thank you for saving me.

Can I offer you anything?”

 

Charlotte squealed in delight

and asked for a kiss,

he giggled and leaned in,

gave her one on the cheek.

 

It wasn’t as romantic as she dreamed.

 

As he headed back up the trunk of the tree,

Charlotte realized she liked saving the prince.

It was even better than the kiss.

She no longer felt amiss.

 

Ever since she saved the prince,

Charlotte became the hero

and began to save lives

whenever the moment did arise.

 

Why even a pig, she thought she’d try.

 

It started with a kiss

and ended up like this:

Charlotte the hero,

stronger than a princess.