Poem- "Never Dream of Spiders" by Audre Lorde

[Ms. Knarr]

Never Dream of Spiders by Audre Lorde



Time collapses between the lips of strangers

my days collapse into a hollow tube

soon implodes against now

like an iron wall

my eyes are blocked with rubble

a smear of perspectives

blurring each horizon

in the breathless precision of silence

one word is made.



Once the renegade flesh was gone

fall air lay against my face

sharp and blue as a needle

but the rain fell through October

and death lay a condemnation

within my blood.



The smell of your neck in August

a fine gold wire bejeweling war

all the rest lies

illusive as a farmhouse

on the other side of a valley

vanishing in the afternoon.



Day three day four day ten

the seventh step

a veiled door leading to my golden anniversary

flameproofed free-paper shredded

in the teeth of a pillaging dog

never to dream of spiders

and when they turned the hoses upon me

a burst of light.

[abigaildolan]

1) This poem seems to be about the Civil Rights movement and the people involved in it. The first stanza she seems to be focusing on the problem. It talks of an 'iron wall' and 'eyes blocked with rubble' perhaps referring to the narrator feeling trapped and blinded. When the Author speaks of 'blurring horizons' and 'silence' she could be alluding to the obscured perspective people have and the silence the continue to have on the subject. 'One word is made' perhaps that one word is segregation. The second second stanza then seems to refer to the the struggle and pain people faced because of this. "renegade flesh was gone' meaning perhaps that the narrator's spirit was removed. It speaks of rain falling, a sad time perhaps and then death being a condemnation or sentence for fighting. 'Within my blood' suggesting lineage or heritage maybe the problem. The third stanza goes on to say how the African American people have been given a taste of freedom, but that it was all lies. That freedom is illusive, seen but distant and fleeting, 'on the other side ... vanishing in the afternoon.' The last stanza ends it with sadness the first and second lines implying a constant wait and steps being taken. Then about 'free-paper' a chance at freedom being torn apart by a 'pillaging dog'. Ending with 'a burst of light' seemed to suggest there was still hope in the cause.

2) I really liked the poem, because it could have meant so many different things. I had to read it five times before I finally decided on the one I did. It was obscure and I like that. I think that maybe the Author was obscure so that she could not be punished for directly fighting against segregation. Also I like that how it tricked the mind and changed as it did. The poem didn't seem to follow rules, as though the Author were rebelling not only against the idea of racism but of how things were in all aspects of life. It was a very interesting poem.

Question 1: This poem could have a variety of meanings because of its obscurity and lack of complete thoughts. Why do you think that the Author chose to be so vague in her meaning and objective?

Question 2: In stanza three the Author almost sounds as though she is describing a lover. Do you think that this is because she mislead the reader or because she is, perhaps, in love with the idea of freedom?

Question 3: The title 'Never Dream of Spiders' seems to have little reference to the poem and the line in the poem is almost separate from the rest of the stanza. Do you think the Author was simply sticking to obscure way of writing? If not what do you think she meant by the line?

Question 4: In stanza four the Author speaks of the seventh step, yet there is no mention of steps anywhere else. What do you think she means by steps? Is it perhaps a reference to some sort of process?

[mattteryek]

1. I feel this poem by Audre Lourde, talks about her journey to death. From "Time collapses between the lips of strangers, my days collapse into a hollow tube," it seems as if she is ding of cancer. In the second paragraph Audre writes as if she knows she will die, but in the third paragraph it gets confusing to me because she mentions a possible lover. "The smell of your neck in August, a fine gold wire bejeweling war,"seemed to be relating to a lover that gives Audre a reason to fight for her life. The part that states, "and when they turned the hoses upon me a burst of light," does this hint that her story is just a dream?

2. I also liked this poem because it incorporates a lot of emotion, through her journey towards death. In the beginning she seems so lonely and had no one to share her pain with. However, despite the fact she cant avoid death, she finds that someone. I would think she died happy, because she ended with a party and saw that "burst of light."

3.
Q1-What do you think the author died from?
Q2-Do you think her story was just a dream and not reality?
Q3-What do you think is meant by the "golden anniversary"?

[timhoffman]

1. In a literal sense, this poem is describing the interactions between two lovers: their lips parting in a kiss, the smell of the woman's neck. However, as one reads the poem almost develops an uncertainty to it, as if even the author cannot foretell what will happen next.

2. While this poem was unique in its own way, there were certain things about it that bugged me, certain things that could've been done better.

3. Matt's Q2: I think this poem was more a vision of the future, a foresight, a reality that has not yet come to pass but may if things are not set right as they should be.

[briannashreve]

1. I agree with Matt, that it sounds like the author is on their death bed. While on their death bed, they seem to be reminiscing on their life and past. It sounds like the person is spending their last moments with someone they love. Finally in the last paragraph, I think the dying person is seeing "light at the end of the tunnel" almost when she writes "when they turned the hoses upon me a burst of light".

2. I didn't really enjoy reading the poem. I think it was very vague which caused me to have to come up with my own interpretation of it. After coming up with my own interpretation, it made me feel sad because the person appears to be having to deal with large amounts of pain until finally death hits them and takes it all away.

3. (Answer to Matt's question number 1)
I think the author probably died from a long, almost painful illness like cancer.

My question: From reading the last paragraph, do you think the author is going to heaven or hell?

[matpolanco]

I am agreeing with Matt. It seems like she is slowly reaching her death. Maybe when she is talking about a lover in the third paragraph, she is talking about some one who she cant have because she is dying.
I like this poem because i really have no clue really what the meaning is. Its almost as if the author wrote it and intended it to be like that. Like Abby said, The Title has little reference to the poem and it is a little confusing.
Matt's Q2: Disagreeing with Tim, I think it is a dream. the feeling on jumping around and nothing really is completed is so dream like. I feel like spiders is a symbol for things that frighten people and she is literally telling us not to dream of bad things. which is kind of weird because we are unable to control dreams.
What is meant by a "burst of light"?

[Katie Mustillo]

1. I agree that she is talking about death. It seems as if she is talking about her wearing away and dying slowly in the first couple of stanzas. Maybe she and a lover ran away together and that she was sick or they have been together since it said "golden anniversary." Also, maybe they were running away from their masters because they wanted to be alone when she died. Then she was remembering the good times they had together. She was trying to fight for her life to stay with her lover, but then she gave up because she knew she'd see him again eventually. I think it's trying to say that even though there are hardships in life, sometimes you have to deal with them and let them be because eventually things will turn out fine.
2. I didn't really like the poem because I thought it was really confusing and the meaning was not clear at all. This caused you to have to read between the lines a lot and then be ify on your decision of the meaning. Nothing really ties together and the title has nothing to do with the poem. Nothing is clear and there's nothing you can be 100% sure on. It gave you missed emotions too- I couldn't tell if it was a happy or a sad poem until I read it a few times. I think this was my least favorite piece.
3. Answer to Matt's Q3: I think the "golden anniversary" is the anniversary with her husband. This must mean that she wanted to make the 50 year anniversary with her husband or lover. She wanted to be able to live through that before she died.
My Question: Do you think she died from being a slave and that her and her lover/husband were running away?