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Margaret Atwood Reads Her Erotic Poem About Cicadas

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

I was out for a trail run this past weekend through the woods near my house, and a thrumming filled the air - this thrumming.

(SOUNDBITE OF CICADAS CALLING)

KELLY: Listening to the racket, the words of Margaret Atwood sprang to mind - not "The Handmaid's Tale," Atwood's dystopian novel, but from her recent book of poetry, which takes on aging, grief and lust. She and I discussed it last fall.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

KELLY: There's some wonderful poems about sex, one titled "Cicadas." This is about insect sex.

MARGARET ATWOOD: It's not human sex.

KELLY: No, it's bugs. But it is - it's steamy.

ATWOOD: Oh, you think? (Laughter).

KELLY: Yeah.

ATWOOD: I don't know what the cicadas will think of it. Just to make you laugh, Amazon UK had got this book as No. 1 under the category of erotic poetry.

KELLY: (Laughter).

ATWOOD: And I thought, what?

KELLY: Read us "Cicadas" so people know what you did with this.

ATWOOD: Yeah. So the cicadas, yes - "Cicadas." (Reading) Finally, after nine years of snouting through darkness, he inches up scarred bark and cuts loose the yammer of desire, the piercing one note of a jackhammer vibrating like a slow bolt of lightning, splitting the air and leaving a smell like burnt tar paper. Now, it says. Now, it says, now, clinging with six clawed legs. And close by, a she like a withered ear, a shed leaf brown and veined shivers in sync and moves closer. This is it. Time is short. Death is near. But first, first, first, first in the hot sun, searing all day long in a month that has no name, this annoying noise of love, this maddening racket, this admitted song.

KELLY: Oh, wow. I am never going to hear that cicada song outside my bedroom window in the same way again.

ATWOOD: Although you may be just as annoyed by it.

(LAUGHTER)

KELLY: I think I'm going to be rooting for them at this point.

ATWOOD: They can get pretty loud (laughter).

KELLY: Yeah, I'm still rooting for them. And I'm hoping Atwood's poem "Cicadas" might give you new perspective on the din that may be unfolding outside your window right now.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Mary Louise Kelly is a co-host of All Things Considered, NPR's award-winning afternoon newsmagazine.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.