Echoes of Summer

The sound of cicadas not only heralds the approaching sweltering heat. Along with the cicadas comes the vibrant red of flamboyant flowers, the gentle purple of crape myrtle, the long afternoons, and the summer holidays unfolding before the children's eyes.

The red flame tree blossom is a familiar sight every summer, associated with schoolyards, the sound of cicadas, and memories of school days.

Summer doesn't usually arrive on a specific day. It creeps into life with very subtle signals: a brighter patch of sunshine, a taller canopy of trees, and the sudden chirping of cicadas, a buzzing that seems to awaken an entire realm of memories.

It's almost the end of April, and the sound of cicadas is everywhere. They chirp incessantly, day and night, sometimes softly, sometimes joyfully, like a symphony of nature. When this wordless symphony begins, the space transforms into a special auditorium, a place where only one sound resonates, low and gentle, gradually rising higher and higher, stretching on and on.

Within that rhythm lies a love song of the species, words of faithful affection. Male cicadas call to their mates during the breeding season with a sound that can carry far, emanating from a special "musical instrument" in their abdomen. The call is wordless, yet persistent and enduring, as if the two summer months are the time they live life to the fullest in their short lifespan. Cicada larvae lie silently underground for many years, until one early summer day, they emerge, climb the "golden cicada shedding its skin" tree to dry their wings, and innocently sing.

That seemingly carefree sound is actually connected to the enduring cycles of life. The transformation from egg to larva to a pair of beautiful wings, the seclusion before embarking on a short life, and then departure, leaving behind an echo of summer. Perhaps that's why, in Eastern sensibilities, the cicada's song is not just the sound of a season, but also signifies continuity and persistence – a continuous, unending flow. It returns every year, without fail. And that's why, each time we hear it again, we suddenly realize we've come a little further, grown a little older, and changed somewhat.

Another season comes to an end. Time flows silently. Youth quietly grows up. There are things that seem very small, but they remain in everyone's memory for a very long time.

The cicadas are still chirping outside, like a silent urging. Summer has truly arrived.

Minh Minh

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-du-lich-van-hoc-nghe-thuat/van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202604/tieng-vong-ngay-he-6a845d6/