Posted on by kimhaynesjohnson

Walkin In a Spider Web

Chelsea Bradway <p> Chandelier pieces, wire, and fishing line </p><p> $1,500 Inquiries: artonthetrails@gmail.com </p><p> Repurposed chandelier crystals and an upcycled film reel form a sculptural spider web glimmering with stories of connection, resilience, and growth. The crystal fragments—once suspended in private spaces—now radiate outward as points of shared light, reflecting how individual experiences touch others. The film reel anchors the web, reminding us that memory, history, and community are inseparable threads. An invitation to consider how we build, mend, and sustain one another—how our shared stories, hopes, and vulnerabilities form the luminous webs that hold us all.</p>

Throughout the month of September, I’m taking the time to appreciate various forms of art and to be inspired by the creativity and thought that goes into each work – whether it’s a painting, a sketch, a collage postcard, or a structure created in nature along a trail. This week, I’m sharing poems that were inspired by Art on the Trails. Today’s ekphrastic poem is in response to Chelsea Bradway’s Walkin in a Spiderweb that you can read more about here. I chose a Huitian as my form, thinking of the eight legs of a spider and how poetic form can become a part of the overall impression when paired with visual art. A Huitan has eight lines of eight syllables, and this one has a rhyme scheme of abbaacca.


Crystal Chandelier Delight

one spider spins a web of light

to reach into our darkest fears

shares stories told throughout the years

then turns to others to invite

their own connections and insight

together, then, they all reach out

climb far beyond the waterspout

weave crystal chandelier delight

If you’d like to know more about the project, visit this page and watch the videos that were created to show how the shared vision became a reality. This makes me want to create a similar event in my own community. I have a trail in mind – a trail created in memory of a former student whose parents are my former colleagues. I just wonder……could we do the same thing here, inviting artists to create works of art, and poets to write poems inspired by that art, and then walk along a trail in celebration of it all?

I think that would be a beautiful thing to do!

6 Replies to “Walkin In a Spider Web”

  1. Kim,

    You should absolutely do this! What a fantastic mix of community, nature, visual art and poetry.

    Thanks for a new-to-me form.

    Love your ending:

    “together, then, they all reach out

    climb far beyond the waterspout

    weave crystal chandelier delight”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      2. Glenda, I think so. The call for poems came around June or July once the art installations were announced. This was the 10th Anniversary, so hopefully it will carry forward. Help me remember to watch for next year’s submission call!

        Liked by 1 person

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