Blogography Logo
spacer

  Home  

Cicada!

Posted on Thursday, May 23rd, 2013

Dave!I am not a big fan of bugs. It's not like I faint when I see them or anything... it's just that I prefer not to be around them. Unless I am at a zoo. And there is glass between me and the bugs.

So you can imagine my horror at having to research bugs when I need to draw them. And it happens more often than you'd think... most recently for issues of THRICE Fiction magazine. At first I'm always my usual squeamish self but, after looking at a few hundred photos of the little devils close-up, I start to appreciate their beauty. Often times they have features unlike anything else you can find on earth and it's not hard to appreciate this kind of artistry on such a small scale.

But I digress.

We've reached the time that a bizarre insect known as the cicada starts making one of their rare appearances. After seventeen years underground, they dig their way to the surface where they molt, eat, mate, then die... by the bazillions. We don't have cicadas here in my little corner of Washington State, but I've seen a cicada bloom before. It's pretty much "bugageddon," and the things are crawling everywhere... all while making crazy levels of noise. It's pretty creepy even if you aren't afraid of bugs. Fortunately it only lasts a couple weeks.

When my writer-friend (and frequent THRICE Fiction contributor) Susan Tepper mentioned that she was sweeping them off her home, a "Cicada Challenge" was born, and I had to draw her a picture of one.

I always thought that a poor cicada who spends seventeen years underground waiting for sex would be a little mental when it's finally time to dig his way out, so I gave him crazy eyes...

Cicada Crazy!

   

Along with the drawing, I also wrote this poem for Susan...

            Fifteen years and two I'm sleeping
            Dreaming of the day I'm leaping
            Now it's time to start the humping
            But before I get to jumping
            I dig, I molt, I eat, I'm singing
            Looking for a date I'm springing
            Crunch
            Crunch
            Crunch
            Now I'm dead my shell is crushing
            Susan's broom and deadly brushing
            All those years of patient waiting
            Biding time 'til I start mating
            No chance now for happy screwing
            A lust for love was my undoing
   
            I should have stayed in bed

   
   

And now I can put cicadas behind me. Well, for seventeen years anyway.

Tags: ,
Categories: DaveToons 2013Click To It: Permalink
   

Comments

  1. Where I grew up in Iowa we have cicadas almost every year as there are a bunch of different broods on different cycles. Some years are much worse than others, but you do get used to those horny little bastards screaming out for sex.

    Of course I now live at the edge of the high desert where there isn’t a bazillion different insects bothering you 24/7.

  2. We had them in Phoenix and I remember it wasn’t just a 17 year thing; it was EVERY. DAMN. SUMMER. (I was told they were all on different 17 year cycles.) The buzzing was crazy.

  3. Dude! Right now I keep finding their empty skeletal casings all over my patio furniture & plants! EWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEW!!!

  4. Lora says:

    Love the poem!

  5. Sarah says:

    I love the poem. It made me smile. I also don’t think I’ve ever seen a cicada. I’m okay with that.

  6. I think more sci-fi creature creators should look to insects as their inspiration. They have such phenomenal beauty and scariness all at the same time.

Add a Comment

Blankatar!

   
I love comments! However, all comments are moderated, and won't appear until approved. Are you an abusive troll with nothing to contribute? Don't bother. Selling something? Don't bother. Spam linking? Don't bother.
PLEASE NOTE: My comment-spam protection requires JavaScript... if you have it turned off or are using a mobile device without JavaScript, commenting won't work. Sorry.




   


   


   
   
   
Your personal information is optional. Email addresses are never shown, and are only used by me if a public reply would be too personal or inappropriate here. The URL link to your web site or blog will be provided, so only fill this in if you want people to visit!



   

  Home  

spacer
Welcome:
Blogography is a place to learn and grow by exposing yourself to the mind of David Simmer II, a brilliant commentator on world events and popular culture (or so he claims).
Dave FAQ:
Frequently Asked Questions
Dave Contact:
dave@blogography.com
Blogography Webfeeds:
Atom Entries Feed
Comments Feed
translate me
flags of the world!
lost & found
Search Blogography:
thrice fiction
Thrice Fiction Magazine - March, 2011 - THE END
I'm co-founder of Thrice Fiction magazine. Come check us out!
hard rock moment
Visit DaveCafe for my Hard Rock Cafe travel journal!
travel picto-gram
Visit my travel map to see where I have been in this world!
badgemania
Blogography Badge
Atom Syndicate Badge
Comments Syndicate Badge
Apple Safari Badge
Pirate's Booty Badge
Macintosh Badge
license
All content copyright ©2003-2022
by David Simmer II
   
Creative Commons License
This weblog is licensed under
a Creative Commons License.
ssl security