Gentleman Caller

     
       He's large.  Far bigger than the other spiders who hang around here.  If he were closer he might be scary, but he stays on the far end of the porch having spun his web just over the swing.  He's smart, of course, as the light from the big window nearby draws all he needs to nourish. I don't think he means me any harm, though others might see it differently.  I have no interest in shooing him away or dismantling his web. One could argue that he's doing me a favor, ridding me of all those bugs.  He amuses rather than frightens me, as he draws his long legs up and makes himself, in his mind, invisible, though his body, which is as big as my thumb, is in clear view. I talk to him as I come and go.  The jingle of my keys no longer startles him.  We watch to see what the other will do next.