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19 October 2022

The NS Poem: Cicadas

A new poem by Kathleen Ossip.

By Kathleen Ossip

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

We admit we’re ridiculous.
That droning noise
sheer attention-
seeking. We wiggle
our tymbals
and hope for the best.
We’re not unique
in all the universe.
We shudder with others
and mean it.

Kathleen Ossip’s new collection, “Little Poems”, is published by Verve Poetry Press

[See also: The NS Poem: Transfiguration]

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This article appears in the 19 Oct 2022 issue of the New Statesman, State of Emergency