Conspiracy Theorists
by Jim Tilley
In autumn, they come forth before the vote.
We spot them, spiders lurking in the grass,
acting in unison, nefarious
collusion, weaving their thin, almost
transparent, tiny, cottony webs
covered with early morning dew, glistening
in the sun to give their lies and deceit
a fresh appeal, barely aboveground,
enticing the unwary, funneling them
to where they can’t escape, vanishing
hours later, only to return the next day,
plotting their recurring appearances
to transform those who see into those
who believe, finally catching them, too.
We spot them, spiders lurking in the grass,
acting in unison, nefarious
collusion, weaving their thin, almost
transparent, tiny, cottony webs
covered with early morning dew, glistening
in the sun to give their lies and deceit
a fresh appeal, barely aboveground,
enticing the unwary, funneling them
to where they can’t escape, vanishing
hours later, only to return the next day,
plotting their recurring appearances
to transform those who see into those
who believe, finally catching them, too.
Jim Tilley has published three full-length collections of poetry and a novel with Red Hen Press. His short memoir, The Elegant Solution, was published as a Ploughshares Solo. Billy Collins selected his poem, “On the Art of Patience,” to win Sycamore Review’s Wabash Prize for Poetry. Four of his poems have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His next poetry collection, Ripples in the Fabric of the Universe: New & Selected Poems, will be published in June 2024.