The Lone Katydid
Martin Elster
I vividly remember
on the evening when September
had slid into October,
the air as cold and sober
as The Dipper’s glittering light,
from somewhere high amid
an oak, a katydid
spoke from a dying leaf:
“Autumn is a thief!
With a single wintry gust
it turned my kin to dust.
Why do I rattle on
when all of them are gone,
when I’ll soon be toothsome prey
for some bat, or when the bite
of another cold snap brings
icy shackles to my wings?”
The insect’s doleful tones
seemed to quiver all my bones.
What could you tell a bug
to soothe it? With a shrug,
I continued on my way
down that trail as dim and shady
as a blackbird’s dusky hue,
and wondered if that katy did
or didn’t have a clue
that he had been listened to.
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Martin’s notes: “This poem will appear in my forthcoming collection, From Pawprints to Flight Paths: Animal Lives in Verse (Kelsay Books). Thanks again to Fliss for writing an excellent blurb for it! (I'll let you know when the book comes out—hopefully soon.)“​​
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Published in The Dirigible Balloon and Your Daily Poem
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Martin Elster, who never misses a beat, was for many years a percussionist with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra (now retired). Aside from playing and composing music, he finds contentment in long walks in the woods or the city and, most of all, writing poetry, often alluding to the creatures and plants he encounters. His career in music has influenced his fondness for writing metrical verse, which has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies in the US and abroad. His honors include Rhymezone’s poetry contest (2016) co-winner, the Thomas Gray Anniversary Poetry Competition (2014) winner, the 2022 Helen Schaible International Sonnet Contest winner, the Science Fiction Poetry Association’s poetry contest (2015) third place, a Best of the Net nomination, and five Pushcart nominations. His latest collection, From Pawprints to Flight Paths: Animal Lives in Verse, is forthcoming from Kelsay Books.
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