Dear Cicada (pt 2)

a poem by Peter M. Ivey

another freshly-molted cicada found beneath our porch

Dear Cicada (pt 2)

I will mourn 
the loss of your song
when you are gone.

            Your daytime 
humming-and-drumming 
has been a balm, 

like a prayer shawl
gently laid against the skin
of the world's altar for those 
who have had ears to hear,

and O, how I have heard
the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living
because of you.

            As your spent bodies
begin to litter the road, silent 
and complete, your treetop drone
now turns to a dirge,

and I bemoan
your impending departure,
the long wait that lies ahead
for your return.

            I have hope
that I will always be 
around to hear it.

---

An Invitation

1. What word, phrase, or image captures your attention in today’s poem?

2. What stirs in you emotionally as you take in today’s poem? Where do these emotions take you? To a memory? A longing of the heart? To a person?

3. Consider reading the poem one more time, asking the Holy Spirit, What invitation are you extending to me through these words today? What are you inviting me to come to terms with, to become curious about, to let go of, to begin to believe?

As always, I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments below, or to shoot me a message. Hearing how each poem or prayer speaks to you is always so encouraging, and it presents an opportunity for us to learn from one another. Thank you again for being here, friends!