If you thought spiders were creepy whose lives didn’t matter, wait until you hear the ‘ten legs, eight broken’ or as some are calling it, ’10 legs, 8 broken’ poem on TikTok, that’s sure to tug at your heartstrings.
The heartwrenching piece of writing showcases the plight of a spider from its perspective so well that people are questioning their decision from the past to get rid of them from their houses and other personal spaces. We suggest you grab a tissue, if you still think you can handle the viral poem on TikTok.
What the ‘ten legs, eight broken’ poem is about
The poem titled ‘ten legs, eight broken’ can be found on the TikTok account Jacob and the Stone, which appears to be handled by the user Emile Mosseri.
The viral writing addressed to a spider in the beginning presents the perspective and even feelings of a spider later, whose existence is barely valued.
The poem equally focuses on the disgust of some humans for spiders and the fear associated with it, as well as the voice of a helpless animal that can’t speak for itself.
The title of the poem reflects the condition of most spiders when they are manhandled by humans, and most often than not, stomped or squashed to death.
Did this tear you up? Then you must read the complete poem below.
Poem about a spider goes viral
“To the spider, the shadowed creature in the corner of the room, I hate you.
You scared me just as your brothers and sisters did before you and I will tell you what I told them, You are a trespasser that does not belong here.
You entered without knocking.
Roamed freely like this is your home and decorated my walls with unwanted, silk webs without asking.
You may not be the only killer here, but only one of us is innocent and it’s not you.
The spider says to me, it’s brittle body squashed and dying.
It’s not you, either, There is venom infused in my fang-shaped maws, but I was born this way.
What’s your excuse? If you could count your murders, how long would you be counting?
Am I really this threatening?
I thought humans’ hearts were bigger than mine, but you have killed with malice instead of the marrow of your bones and poison bubbling behind your scowl.
And I’m sorry for scaring you, but I didn’t know being seen would cost me my life.
Maybe
If you didn’t fabricate the pricky feeling of my legs creeping up on your skin while I crawled across the living room floor;
If the webs I weaved were made of cotton candy and captured clementines, cherries, and sweet peas rather than struggling wings and blood;
If I had a pink tongue plush fur, a wagging tail, and four legs instead of eight;
If I had only two eyes, and they were glittering stars and not supermassive black holes;
If I was the same but looked different; maybe you wouldn’t hate me.
Maybe you wouldn’t have loved me, either, and maybe you still wouldn’t have let me stay.
But maybe you would’ve shown me the door or a window. Maybe you would’ve shown me mercy.
(But you are still standing, and I am still sorry.)
I think maybe, no matter how reluctant, mercy would’ve been enough.”
TikTok users are in tears
The viral poem has overwhelmed social media users, with many rethinking their opinion of spiders. Meanwhile, a few have advised fellow users to avoid reading the poem as it’s gotten them too emotional.
One wrote: “Saw a poem that said “I want only not to be punished for the crime of being small” and now I refuse to kill bugs.”
When one user said: “I’m sobbing” another added: “There’s no way I’m sad over a poem of a spider.”
