He warned they would arrive,
web-stretching between
deck chairs and table,
harnessing limbs, loose hair.
But she couldn’t hear, ignoring.
Then, she saw filigree
etched in windows, shook off
traps pulled into spun collars.
She asked, how can we stay
above board, treading water,
she asked, stepping across
flagstones from house to pond,
as if she did not know,
unraveling like threads,
strands of her clothes.