Tales of Two Insects

The damselfly entered our abode for no good reason other than that we had left the door open.  It did not know what it was getting into and unfortunately it did not find its way out.

We heard the creature whirring here and there in the living room and caught an occasional glimpse of a blur as it darted back and forth.  But we could neither identify nor capture it.

The next morning we found the creature dead on our living room carpet.  It had exhausted itself no doubt seeking an egress from the prison into which it had wandered.

Entirely too many people, lured by the inviting open doors of temptation, wander into a morass from which they cannot extricate themselves.  They may beat themselves into a frenzy seeking escape, but cannot find the way out.  God offers hope and a way of escape.

Psalm 40 I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me,  and heard my cry.

² He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
³ And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. --KJV


In late afternoon's sunlight we found this cicada on the concrete driveway.  It was immobile and had the appearance of lifelessness.  But as I touched it gently its front leg twitched.  I picked it up and it immediately grasped my finger.

Clearly the creature had just emerged from its exoskeleton and was awaiting the drying of its wings so that it could begin its adventures as a winged insect.

Luckily it was I who found him and not a squirrel.  I placed him on a tree limb five feet above the ground.  Perhaps he will mate and procreate, thus providing insects and singing for us again in 2032.

Perhaps I have an over-active imagination, but I think the images on this beastie's back bear a striking resemblance to a Tlingit or Haida totem pole.  Maybe the totem was carved in imitation of the cicada.

Word of the day: egress.


I saw the "totem" on the cicada's back then found this image.
You may read the Tlingit legend of Fog Woman here.