poetry – Page 17 – Andy writes!

Friday Five: Thoughts on Steve Almond’s ‘Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow’

Why Steve Almond’s new book about the craft of writing is worth a read.

Cover image of the book "Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow," by Steve Almond.

I’ve read my share of books about writing in my time, and most of them have given me at least a nugget or two of wisdom or inspiration. A new entry to the craft genre by Steve Almond, Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories, which came out in April, is one of the best I’ve read in a while.

If you’re a writer, you should read this book. Here are five reasons why:

Thirteen Ways of Hearing a Cicada (a poem)

With apologies to Wallace Stevens.

Thirteen Ways of Hearing a Cicada

A rare dual brood emergence of cicadas is happening this spring, and it will not happen for another 221 years, according to entomologists. These insects can create sounds that often hit 90-100 decibels, which is louder than a hair dryer.

“The Year of the Periodical Cicadas,” The National Institute of Food and Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture, March 26, 2024

The first parties emerge

Like scouts, inspecting the land.

You hear a whir, a hiss, the sound

Of one winding a mechanical clock

Or a music box.

A small intrusion

Into the noises of mid-spring:

the chirping robins, yodeling cardinals,

hammering woodpeckers.