cicadas

Cody James

Do you remember how we used to sing?
Before the soil taught us silence;
before the roots divorced our paths;
before the maple marked the distance;
before the sky forgot our past?

 

A seventeen-year truth surfaced in seconds,
as you parade in your new skin.

You forsake your true emergence, 

you succumb to the littered husks.

Fallen long before us,

they meld into the brush.


The dust from which we’re born

reaches out to claim them back.

How many more sheddings 

until your shell begins to crack?

 

A rushed cycle beckons internal rupture,

such a price: your shattered wings.

Sleep the silence seventeen more,

and maybe what’s broken will learn to bend.

Just ask the brother buried still,

humming beneath the exoskeletal blend.

  • Author: Cody James (Offline Offline)
  • Published: September 13th, 2025 19:58
  • Category: family
  • Views: 4
  • Users favorite of this poem: sorenbarrett
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Comments +

Comments1

  • sorenbarrett

    Beautiful and most poetic the metaphor works so well and the imagery is magnificent. Love cicadas and their song and this one fits so well

    • Cody James

      I love them as well; they're such interesting creatures that it just made sense to use them here for this poem. Thanks again 🙂

      • sorenbarrett

        You are most welcome



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