Parts of the country are preparing for a periodic invasion.
Cicadas are soon to emerge, by the trillions.
Upwards from down below earth they will spill, then
start shedding their skins, and their wings will unfurl.
The purpose: for boys to knock boots with the girls.
After seventeen years, they have grown into nymphs.
It takes all this time before we get a glimpse
of what they have evolved into, prior to molting:
Non-entomologists find it revolting.
What purpose is served by the homely cicada?
They prune mature trees, and they also aerate the
soil from which they came for their cyclic arrival.
But why are there trillions? Best odds for survival.
People seem scared, but they shouldn’t be frightened;
so what if these horny bugs have sex all night, and
the noise they make equals a rock band (electrified)?
Please, just let them be: there’s no need for insecticide.
