Thursday, August 19, 2010

Memento Mori* (231/365)

2010 08 19 IMG_2669w 
“In the cicada's cry;
No sign can foretell;
How soon it must die.”


Matsuo Basho (famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. Recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; master of brief and clear haiku, 1644-1694)

TIME:  4:43 PM
PLACE:  Front Porch
SUBJECT:  Cicada

One of the things that always reminds me of summer is the buzz of the cicadas in the trees.  They seem to be particularly loud this year.  I found this guy while I was sweeping the front steps this morning.  He stayed around all day which allowed me to take his picture this afternoon…How did this happen you may ask?  He was a dearly departed cicada – that made it really easy to take his picture.

*Memento Mori:  Latin for "Remember you are mortal", or "Remember you will die." It refers to a wide range of art whose purpose is to remind people of their own eventual death.

3 comments:

Michelle said...

So that is what they look like close up. We don't have them here but I have heard them when visiting family in the south. They are kind of cool.

Christina said...

I love the sounds of summer, and this is one of my favorites!

I didn't know it, but Jazzy carried a cicada into the house the other night, and held it in her mouth for close to thirty minutes! It wasn't until I heard a buzzing sound, and just like that, Flash jumped in and grabbed it off the floor and ate it. Ewww...

Stacey said...

Cicadas are such interesting insects. Here in MD they nest in the ground and then swarm like every 17 years or so. Somewhat creepy if you ask me!