Hardscrabble ... Skills

Today’s word is “hardscrabble” ... providing or yielding meagerly in return for much effort; demanding or unrewarding. (Dictionary.com)

Skills

Morning to night she weaves 

     and checks, intricate patterns that will

          sparkle with morning dew.

Up and down the threads she walks,

     the breeze helping to lift the 

         silken lines.

They must be strong to catch her food,

     and to save it for later.

Hers is a hardscrabble task ...

     not for the faint of heart.

And the web does not last. It is

     torn easily. It needs to be rebuilt

          and rebuilt.

               Everyday.

It only takes an hour or so,

     but her life is short when 

          we compare.

Imagine rebuilding your house

     day after day after day.

What time would be left

     for anything else?

Perhaps we are not so different

     after all.

Anne Selleck

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