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Odin odin@aflx.com

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Books
· Perceptions

· ECHOSIS

· Prosetry at Work

· Said and Unsaid - Vol 1

· 3 WAY MIRROR


Short Stories
· Patience Waning

· Ladle Lines (A prosetry memory)

· A Gentle Man

· Pacing Love's Journey

· Gratitude

· A Sticky Conversation

· Blazing Now and Then

· Vulnerable Captivity

· The Kite That Would Not Bow

· Time


Articles
· War and Peace

· Desperation Breeds Desperation

· Preference Manifest

· Innocent Guilt

· Barbed Isolation

· A Place...

· Sanity's Loss

· Organs Anonymous

· Fatuous Beyond Absurdity

· Truth is One


Poetry
· The Life-long Pernicious Evil

· Cherishing Sounds of Silence

· Understanding the Unexplainable

· Reality of Another Kind

· Finding Trust Again

· Aromalicious Memories

· A Jungle-rain Pastorale

· Sediment Within the Soul

· Life's Enormous Green Chest

· Roadkill Memoriam

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Loneliness of the Long-Distance Flyer

by Odin odin@aflx.com — Read all 3,869 poems by Odin odin@aflx.com

Aristotle, fond of eating cicadas described them briefly in his Historia Animalium. From this, we know that he was aware of their periodic lifecycle, their resurrection from the earth, their progression to winged form and their song. Aristotle is attributed with disseminating in Greek culture cicada symbolism of resurrection and immortality; although their liminal aspect and propensity to incite admiration pre-date Aristotle.

Then, Socrates' Myth of the Cicadas is presented. The Cicadas chirp and watch to see whether their music lulls humans to laziness or whether the humans can resist their sweet song. Cicadas were once humans who, in ancient times, allowed the first Muses to enchant them into singing and dancing for so long they stopped eating and sleeping and died without noticing. The Muses rewarded them with the gift of never needing food or sleep, and of singing from birth to death. The task of the Cicadas is to watch humans and report who honors the Muses and who does not.

Cicadas, for many, represent personal change, renewal, rebirth, and transformation. Unlike a butterfly, moth, or other insects that undergo complete metamorphosis, cicadas have no pupal state. ... A lot of people use cicadas to symbolize their own personal transformation, in art, song, poetry. Why the Ghost White Cicada wandered into my psyche remains a question that may not have an answer, save some help from Aristotle or Socrates. (Image by pinterest)

Monday, November 8, 2021


Poem Artwork

 

Loneliness of the Long-Distance Flyer

 

You should live in a castle as a queen,

Not quivering atop my hand

In this jungle of territorial species

Opting for all the space and power.

 

You should have your own wintering

And partying quarters

Made to order,

And a streaming service to accompany your singing.

For if you listen carefully,

Your sister and brotherly cicadas both near and far

Are humming the om of your robed protectors of your homeland

As servants bring forth sweets

Laid gently on plates with your coat of arms,

All while your courtiers seek a king of your liking

Among the lesser choices of our native identity.

 

Yes…

 

You have ventured far from your Asian surroundings.

How you arrived in my garden of thought

Only you know.

 

I will listen to your song tonight.

 

Perhaps …

 

Perhaps we can listen together,

You and me,

Maybe become a couple of inordinate friends.

 

Yes?

 

 

 



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Reviewed by John Herlihy
Reviewed on November 12, 2021
Remarkable that a poem can be so informative. So interesting.

Reviewed by Diana Legun
Reviewed on November 10, 2021
This is a curious piece. I like your introduction just as much as the body of your write here, especially: “ singing and dancing for so long they stopped eating and sleeping and died without noticing. ” I want that. Personifying the cicada is intriguing, and I like this phrase: “ You should have your own wintering” and this one: “ arrived in my garden of thought.” If I remember accurately over the years, you have a knack for personifying even objects. That’s creativity for me. ~~ djl

Reviewed by Ronald Hull
Reviewed on November 9, 2021
You have given me more information from the Greeks about cicadas than I ever knew. Learn something new every day.

As for me, as I recall the times they made July nights miserable, along with the heat, to sleep, there were no thoughts of sweet song. Only thoughts of when the screeching would end.

But to the cicada, it certainly was a fun lovemaking time, long overdue after 17 years of waiting.

Ron


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