for the cicadas

what then, are the sounds
of this city?

is it the gentle tap-tap-tap of a million keyboards
(writing shakespeare, no doubt)
or the deep bass rumble of the chimneys
in a thousand asian takeaways?

maybe the laughter that stumbles drunkenly out of the cafés
to swing, stagger and CRASH!
at our (suitably) jandal-ed feet
or the plainitive wail of a car alarm
being industriously ignored?

what then, are the sounds
of this city?

for the cicadas, at least here,
are dead.


[with thanks to taonga puoro, by brian flintoff]

6 comments:

Blind Dayze said...

this is discreetly morbid. love it.

feddabonn said...

grin. i love that description!

Anonymous said...

cicadas are very much alive in tokyo (thank God) - i'm looking forward to hearing them again soon because they somehow remind me of home and childhood.

feddabonn said...

...i don't particularly miss them...too bleddy noisy, lol.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful!!

I prefer cicadas and even the noisiest of pigeons anyday, to blaring bhajans :)

feddabonn said...

lol thanks, IHM, i must agree. which reminds me, for a year in chennai, i lived in the neighbourhood of a temple, a mosque *and a pentecostal church, all competing to make more of a racket!