There was a cicada named Paddy
He worked underground as a caddie,
Fell in love at Seventeen.
Twas a cicada, her name Colleen.
So now Paddy is a dead laddie.

Linda Vulich
Sharonville

TV and the press have warned of the slews
Of Cicadas advancing
It gives one the blues.
You’ve made us all terrified
Even a bit petrified.
But do bugs really deserve headline news?

Patricia Soller
Blue Ash

Consider the poor ol’ cicadas,
Whose looks are described as outrageous.
They make such a sound,
While briefly ’bove ground,
We wonder why God even made ya’s!

Bob Crase
Hamersville, Ohio

If cicadas are eating your trees
I’ve a way to remove them with ease
My plan is fantastic
albeit a bit drastic
I’ll tell “Dubya” they’ve got WMD’s

Tom Wick
Wyoming

Have you heard of the bug called Cicada?
Our city, by the billions, they invada
They molt, they fly,
They mate, they die,
And their young’ns then say “see ya’ lada!”

Steve Simpson
Mason

Those cicadas are big ding-a-lings
With red eyes and hard shells and wings.
My dog loves to snack
On the buggers out back,
But she can’t seem to digest the things.

Wayne Craig
Sycamore Township

There once was the family Cicada
Who had an old grandma named Ada
Now Ada was old,
but also quite bold
You should have heard the ruckus she made-a

Joan Phieler
Corydon, Ind.

The cicadas sing in the summer.
They hum but couldn’t be dumber.
Don’t they know
That after the show,
They’ll fall and die, what a bummer!

Carol Blodgett
New Richmond

Cincinnati is Cicada City.
Though not necessarily pretty,
We’re making the most
As reluctant host,
To welcome, with limericks witty.

Jean Wetzler
Erlanger

You hear some say cicadas are tasty,
Whether fried or baked in a pastry
Just give me a bib
A Montgomery Rib
And I’ll get out of town post haste-y.

Mary E. West
Hyde Park

There was a young lady named Nellie,
who had a hankering for cicada jelly
Her body said, “Whoa,
the answer is no” -
You’re not putting that in my belly

Janice L. Waddell
Green Township

There once was a brown little bug
And up from the earth he dug
Every seventeen years
From the earth he appears
And makes all the people say “ugh!”

Adrienne Clark
Deer Park

There once was a girl named Bayann
Who declared the cicadas a scam,
Then she opened her door
To find cicadas galore,
And declared, “Yes, I’m scared, yes, I am.”

Freda Shamma
Indian Hill

There once was a cicada named Kate
Who desperately wanted a mate
So she buzzed with her friends
Just to die in the end
Without even getting a date.

Joyce Gerdes
Mount Healthy

I met a cicada named Otto
Who said, I do what I got to
I sleep for years, then shift my gears
And court a gal as I ought to.

Joyce Shinn
Hamilton

There once was a Cicada named Philo
Who emerged from a Cincinnati silo
He was sucked into a fan
Ten spins did the man
And turned into a Venus De Milo

John Hiller
Madeira

I would like to sit down and relate a
Story about the Cicada,
But a limerick’s too short
To allow a report
That includes non-hysterical data.

Barry Dick
Fort Mitchell

My mom says cicadas are gross
Especially when they get too close
They look very ugly
And not too snuggly
Every seventeen years we get a good dose

Taylor Urevick and Brea Lowe
Third Grade
Prince of Peace Catholic School

Seventeen years seems a long time to wait
To come out of the ground just to mate
Take your honeymoon fast
’ Cause it’s not gonna last
Sorry guys - it’s a matter of fate

Karen Ellison
Elmwood Place