Yes, they're back. The 13-year Rip Van Winkles of the South. We haven't seen them since 1998, these red-eyed cicadas, and we each react differently to their arrival: Madeleine finds their din headache-inducing; Miranda does a mean imitation of their dying; Sundance tries to eat every one he can find; Mark and Cassidy seem interested but not obsessive; I kind of like them.
Their music begins in mid-afternoon with a tune that rises and falls in a cadence all its own. Hours pass as they croon their noisy love songs, drowning out lawn mowers and barking dogs. They're everywhere, and there's no mistaking their popping red eyes and glittery gold wings. Pixar would do well to model them for animation.
They'll be gone soon, these creatures of the subterranean world, leaving us to ponder where we were 13 years ago and where we'll be 13 years hence. In the meantime, we'll sit back and listen to their show and wonder how they came to be in this strange and amazing world.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I guess they're not the same cicadas we have up north. They are here every year - in the heat of late summer. I've never looked at them, so I don't know what color their eyes are.
ReplyDelete