Emergence.

Dogday Cicadas…

annual,

periodical-

13 years, 17 years-

underground

sucking on a tree taproot

emerging for just a few weeks,

sometimes just a few days,

to sing and mate and die…

their song swells and hums,

at times overpowering all of nature.

To my ears,

in their unending midsummer chorus,

they sound like life.

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Cicada Killers…

wasp-like, predator

hunting cicadas upon Emergence,

poison sting paralyzes.

dragging to underground lair

through the dirt to the birthing chamber

laying their eggs inside the paralyzed live body

of the dogday cicada.

 

eggs hatch

 on live immobile cicada, larvae feed.

to my eyes

seeing them,

images of

death and destruction.

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To you, who is the Cicada? Who or what is the Cicada Killer? I’m fascinated to hear from you below in the comments section!

(My thanks to the University of Illinois Extension for their extensive entomology research in the Midwest! For more information about the  cicada life cycle, click here.)