A Brief History of Time (Salt Modern Poets) - Softcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Shaindel Beers’ poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. She is currently an instructor of English at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Oregon, in Eastern Oregon’s high desert and serves as Poetry Editor of Contrary. The Children’s War is her second poetry collection from Salt.

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Cicadas

Where will we be the next time

they emerge, in 17 years,

when brood X nymphs first wriggle their way

out of exit holes, climb the trunks of oaks and maples,

sun themselves on viburnum,

pale and helpless, before their wings dry

and darken

so they can fly safely to trees to mate, lay eggs,

and die?

I'm not sure I have a concept of 17 years.

I remember Ronald Reagan was President,

I was jealous of my friend Lindsey because

she had a Debbie Gibson hat.

The Princess Bride came out, and is still

my favorite movie.

Seventeen years in the future seems daunting.

The boys at the little league field behind my house

will be men, the neighbors' dog will be dead

and the tree in my backyard

will no longer be mine.

I could be living anywhere--

not one to put down roots, I can't even guess.

Just yesterday, I realized, looking out your window,

that in less than two months

new trees will greet me from another window.

No longer the canopy of hardwoods,

but lush, tropical greens year-round

1,300 miles away from you.

And though we've talked about this,

I wonder what you're thinking,

what you would like to be doing

with the seventeen years that this year's

nymphs will spend underground,

burrowing, living on the roots of all those trees.