Here in Kentucky spring has unearthed a 17-year cicada brood. The bugs make an otherworldly droning buzz around my aunt and uncle’s house deep in the woods. After a night of tornadoes, it sounds like a siren coming from the trees, a signal of doom after the trauma over night.
I’m wrong about the cicadas, of course. They’re probably just trying to mate. Their bizarre hum becomes the background music to the malevolence of the current regime in the US. The normal visceral reaction to violent storms is enhanced by the current politics of cruelty and ignorance. Suddenly I find myself hearing impending catastrophe in the songs of cicadas. I’m glad I caught myself, but I come by it honestly.
Sadistic policies, like disappearing brown people off the street and whisking them off without due process to detention centers or third world gulags –are aimed at quelling dissent through fear. Brown people are the test cases. Next it could be anyone who opposes trump. Threats to withhold necessary government protections, like severe weather alerts and emergency management keep us in a state of insecurity. Will federal relief come to Kentucky? Or is the Democratic governor going to be turned down for disaster funds? Wickedness is the point. A populace on edge and unsure of tomorrow feeds the power of fascists. Malice becomes the stasis, and a known liar decides what’s true and false. It’s dizzying and demoralizing. We are more malleable when we question our own critical thinking, even our sanity. Here is the hard truth: a rolling nightmare is wreaking havoc across our country. Most of us agree that the executive branch and an entire political party has been captured by a freak with a low IQ and a black heart.
As I ponder all this, I realize a cool and bright spring day has graced us. We clean up felled trees and pack food in coolers, waiting for the electricity to be restored. The wind chimes and birdsongs almost drown out the ethereal echo of the cicadas. Each spring arrives like a new gift –no matter how many seasons you live to see. Life emphatically and joyfully regenerates, and the multiverse tilts towards goodness. The cycles of nature, the earth’s creatures –even rocks –have a beginning and an end. Committing fully to each day, to letting experiences, smells and sounds touch us –this helps keep us grounded. Weathering storms requires vigilance. We need a plan, a place to hide if necessary. We should identify vulnerable people and check on them. We survive disaster and the maga death cult by paying attention and taking steps to protect and defend ourselves. We will get through it. Denial, self doubt, and fear are the only true enemies, because they lead to inaction.
Life is as wild and unpredictable as a crow, as cyclical as cicada broods, and as lovely as spring. This rich complex earthly life is worth fighting for.
I will continue to write, to resist and oppose this bumbling moronic tyranny.
We all have 1st Amendment rights. Let’s use them. We are called upon right now to survive our collective night of storms. Attend rallies. Call representatives. Write, if that’s your thing. Talk to people. Stand up to maga bullies. We can defeat the mad king, his obsequious toadies, and his unleashed cruelty. The nightmare will be over when most of us say no. Loudly.
Meanwhile, enjoy the exuberant gift of every season under the sun. And remember that all things change and come to an end. Impermanence is our ally. If we stay engaged, and do our part –without fear –spring morning will come again to our democracy.
Laurel Owen, May 2025
This was a sign my aunt and uncle attached to their mailbox during the No Kings national protest. They’re in their 80’s and could not find a local event.
