cicada song
the bandshell
empty
Published by
Charles Trumbull
Charles Trumbull is an editor for Encyclopaedia Britannica and lives in Evanston, Illinois. He has been writing haiku since 1991. He was editor (1996-2002) of the Haiku Society of America Newsletter, president of the HSA in 2004 and 2005, and an organizer of the Haiku North America 1999 conference. He is currently editor of Modern Haiku and proprietor of Deep North Press, a publisher of haiku books. No Web page yet; e-mail: trumbullc at comcast dot net View all posts by Charles Trumbull
Two things, one large one small, meet in this instant. The tiny cicada’s song is amplified in our reading by the image of the huge empty bandshell. The huge bandshell, in turn, is given an intimacy by its relation to the insect. I also enjoy the shell parallel. Nicely done!
Fantastic haiku! Really excellent and evocative.
charles, this could have made a wonderful two lines haiku.
case in point:
cicada song
empty band_shell
———————
the size of things was lost upon me.
anyone having heard the cicada, can readily relate to it’s song being almost reminiscent.
anyone having seen a live cicada step forward. i seemingly always find the empty shell, after it has begun it’s next phase in life.
here is where a remarkable parallel is drawn.
once the orchestra has ended it symphony, all that remains is the shell and the music, one once heard…
the cicada for all it’s songs seems rather ghostly, as though it’s echoing from the past…
i am in agreement with jon; though i feel charles loss, by not composing it in two lines.
great moment, charles
Bob, are you kidding, you’ve never seen
a cicada? I cannot see Charles poem
as a 2 liner, possibly a oneliner?
But, I kinda like it as it is. Thanks
for the read Charles.
h. gene, reread my words, “i have never seen one that is alive”, always the empty shell. albeit, i’ll even admit if i had, i didn’t know what it was.
perhaps, if i’d been a student on the study and understanding of arthropods or whatever, i might/may have.
as for your “kinda liking it as it is”, to each his own, however what’s yours may on occasions be mine or vice versa, but not today.
sorry, h.gene, as i was walking away from the keyboard, i felt this nagging sensation.
i was subconsciously thinking of the presentation being a one liner.
cicada song, the bandshell empty
what do you think. even this suggests once the cicada has taken flight and the remains of it’s shell, though i feel two thoughts being presented…yet it does cause my mind to explore all the possibilities
Yes, I did read what you said Bob, here’s a link
so you know what a cicada looks like, and as too
Charles poem, I’ll leave that up to him, on how
he wants the format to be. I just have this thingy
about editing Editors.
http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/fauna/Michigan_Cicadas/Michigan/Index.html
h. gene, please reread my comment above, Posted by bob richardson (orgbob at webtv dot net) on 2003-07-29 06:58:49.
in your reference to this “thingy you possess about editing editor”, that is your pleasure, but not mine.
as for the formatting of charles poem, i’ll leave that up to him, on how he wants the format, also.
h. gene, did you not read the heading of this feature, “post your own comments”.
as for the link you sent me, i appreciate it.
now, if i only had the time to click onto it.
for future referencing, if the need arises, i’ll know there is a cicada site somewhere.
naturally, there’s more to come, h. gene…
and here it is, h. gene…
i am puzzle, h. gene, if you read my comment, did you not understand what i said.
the mystery further grows, why in the world would you think i need to know what the cicada looks like, after all these years. i am perfectly satisfied living the remainder of my years, i hope i possess many, having known the sound of the cicada, and being able to say, “it was continually evasive from my vision”. in this i am satisfied, why spoil a good thing.
h. gene, i at one time wrote a poem that mentioned, “the beauty one sees in a flower, never needs to be touched”. this is my feeling for the cicada, might you honor this as much as you honor an editor.
h. gene, you have made my evening…
“the beauty one sees in a flower,
never needs to be touched”
Nice thought Bob, but it’s soiled now.
h. gene, once again, one person’s opinion, being yours, and to this you are entitled.
h. gene, i ponder the state of your mind to have soiled my words, “the beauty one sees in a flower,
never needs to be touched”.
correct me, if i am wrong, or am i reading your words incorrectly.
Listening to a cricket,
I hear only
the voice of silence
thousand blackbirds on a wire
all their butts turned my way–
open moonroof