I was sitting on the front porch last night
trying in vain to escape the recent heat wave
and as the skies darkened one of those pop up thunderstorms appeared
and offered a few moments of respite from the heat and humidity

It wasn’t long before the mugginess returned to the air
and that’s when I heard the buzzing of a lone cicada.
I wondered to myself ”Where did its rhythm go?”
And why is it alone, destined to become food for birds before it can mate?

The buzzing increased in its frequency and urgency
and lasted for upwards of an hour before it faded off entirely
What made the lone cicadas biological clock wander off course?
Did it come too early or arrive too late to join the party?

I thought to myself that seventeen years, buried beneath the ground
is an awful long time to go without companionship
and if that cicada had feelings, it would be overjoyed when it finally saw the light of day.
Now, I can only sense the disappointment it might have felt when it discovered
it was the only one.