Canto de grillos

Marisa López Soria

Música del universo es el grillar     
-cantinela de apareamiento-.
La ciencia establece cabal relación
entre temperatura y citada del grillo
- cri cri de la noche -.
Ardores al margen        abril, flores, el amor…
chiflarse, chalarse, trastornarse, irse el tarro, la cabeza
grillarse y perder energía en el control      
es lúdico y festivo.
No desdeñaré al que bajo mi ventana canta   
Lo invitaré a pasar        - agua y verdor-
que canten quimera, ensueño y armonía 
posados sobre unas verdes hojas. 
(La suerte nos habita entre candor y duda)

The Science

This poem explores the characteristics of cricket song, which is directly linked to ambient temperature. Crickets are ectotherms, meaning their body temperature depends on their environment. As the temperature rises, their metabolic activity increases, which speeds up and intensifies their song. Conversely, when temperatures drop, their activity decreases, and their song becomes less audible. This phenomenon has even enabled scientists to estimate ambient temperature based on the frequency of cricket song.

The poem also plays with the multiple meanings of Spanish phrases like “írsele a uno la olla" (to lose one’s marbles) or "estar grillado" (to be crazy), suggesting that "going off the rails" can be not only acceptable but even necessary. In some cultures, crickets are symbols of good luck, a belief subtly woven into the poem, embracing the innocent and symbolic nature of such sayings and traditions.

The Poet

Marisa López Soria is a writer and educator with degrees in Art History, geography, and History. She has also served as a public school principal and advisor for teacher training at Teacher and Resource Centers (CPRs) in Spain. Marisa engages in reading promotion, author encounters, and literary creation workshops for children, youth (including Club de la Cometa, Club de la Ola, La Mar de Letras Chica), and adults at town councils, the Cajamurcia Foundation, book fairs, and European Cervantes Institutes. She has served as a judge for various national literary awards for children and adults, such as Lazarillo, CreaJoven, Setenil, Ramón Gaya, CreaMurcia, Aulas Hospitalarias, and Alfonso X Awards.

Marisa has published around fifty books for children and young adults with prestigious publishers, including Alfaguara, Penguin Mondadori, Espasa, Everest, Hiperión, Círculo de Lectores, Kókinos, Narval, Bookolia, Creotz, Edebé, and Casals. Her work has been translated into French, English, Portuguese, Catalan, Korean, Chinese, Dutch, and sign language and featured in various anthologies. Marisa López Soria – Literature for All Audiences (marisalopezsoria.com).

Next poem: Citizen science by Anthea Lacchia