Plague of Crickets
by Mark Seidl
The mayor issues
magnifying glasses
to the mothers who
give them to the children
and the children sweep
playground and park
and every vacant
lot. Whether
their tears come
from sadness or
joy or the smoke
of burning carapace
their fathers cannot
say or won’t.
Mark Seidl lives in New York’s Hudson Valley, where he works as a rare-books librarian—the best job in the world! His poems have appeared in several print and online journals, including New Delta Review, decomp, and Cease, Cows.
What surprising, fascinating stuff can you tell us about the origin, drafting, and/or final version of “Plague of Crickets”? “Plague of Crickets” is one of an ongoing series that includes, so far, plagues of owls, gunslingers, kung fu masters, and major and minor demons. This poem grew in part from my memory of a long-past moment when I, as a young boy, indulged in an act of petty, childish cruelty involving a magnifying glass. Now, as an adult and parent, I recall that moment whenever I encounter the often breathtaking thoughtlessness of children who are learning the hard way—what other way is there?—how to be compassionate human beings. No doubt other impulses (dreads? anxieties?) of which I’m less aware lurk behind “Plague of Crickets,” but I hope the strange alchemy of poetry gives this little piece a life beyond its immediate origins.
Check out the write-up of the journal in The Writer.
Matter Press recently released titles from Meg Boscov, Abby Frucht, Robert McBrearty, Tori Bond, Kathy Fish, and Christopher Allen. Click here.
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Submissions
Poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction/prose poetry submissions are now closed. The reading period for standard submissions opens again September 15, 2025. Submit here.
Upcoming
12/15 • Isabelle Ness
12/22 • Catherine Bai
12/29 • Stephan Viau
01/05 • Allison Blevins
01/12 • Justin Ocelot
01/19 • Yejun Chun
01/26 • Mathieu Parsy
02/02 • Robert McBrearty
02/09 • Sarah Daly
02/16 • Wayne Lee
02/23 • Terena Elizabeth Bell
03/02 • Michael Mirolla
03/09 • Nicholas Claro
03/16 • TBD
03/23 • TBD
03/30 • TBD