o The life cycle of a cicada begins as a rice-shaped
egg laid in a tree-groove by its absent mother.

Once it has hatched, the now termite-shaped
nymphs will emerge from the woodwork and fall
into the soft soil.
i. Adolescent cicadas will spend the next 2 to
17 year(s) underground.
ii. Still adolescent cicadas will spend the next 1 to
16 year(s) underground.
iii. Any time now. Cicadas will spend the next 0 to
15 year(s) underground.
iv. It’ll be soon, I promise.
v. You’re still waiting.
vi. What shape are you now? There are no mirrors
underground, but there is groundwater.
Saturated, sodden, soaked through and through
and through.
vii. Useless without a glimpse of light to reflect back.
viii. You’re told you look like a cicada.
ix. You know you’ve seen light before. You’re
confident, you swear. You just don’t have the
words to describe it.
x. Are you sure you didn’t hatch at night?
xi. This can’t be right.
xii. They call you nymph, don’t they? Avatars of
earthly delight, immortal ecstasy, all the beauty
heaven never thought to create. They emerge
from the woodwork, fall atop the soft soil, living
eyes turned up the vast indescribable above.
xiii. What shape are you now?
xiv.
xv. You’re told you look like a cicada. Whatever that
is.
xvi. Eternally adolescent cicadas will spend the next
-14 to 1 year(s) underground.
xvii. Summer has arrived. Tear off your old skin.
Summer has arrived! Leave your digger-claws in
the ground. Summer has arrived, has arrivèd.
Sing! Sing about it! Summer-is arriving
hasarrived

willarrive

forever

Andever

andeverandever. (sing.)

xviii. The life cycle of a cicada ends in the few weeks
following its emergence.

Once it has died, the finally corpse-shaped
cicadias will emerge from the woodwork and fall
into the soft soil.