Blackberry Moon

My love affair with the moon continues in the fall issue of Eclectica, up today. I have two moon poems in it, "Cusp" and "Blackberry Moon," the latter coming from the American Indian (Choctaw) name for the October full moon, according to this interesting list of moon names.

That list also gives the English Medieval and Neo Pagan name of Blood Moon to the full October moon, which gave rise to my poem "Blue Blood Moon" in Stirring last year around this time! The blue moon is the second full moon in a month, so the blue blood moon is when that happens in October...if you are medieval or a neo pagan. Or a poet like me, in love with the moon and the names of the moon.

I realize, in a Random Coinciday kind of way, that the moon, along with a man walking on it, is also in my poem "The Towns," announced here recently, in the new online magazine the museum of americana. Check it out!

Of course the September or the October moons are the Harvest Moon in some cultures, or the Harvest Moon and Hunter's Moon in colonial American culture. Our full moon is due October 29, I see, and will be hanging around, if slightly shaved, on Halloween.

Meanwhile, here is a peach looking like a full moon, with blackberries and a walnut, by Jonathan Koch. And a round-as-the-moon image of blackberry blossoms from Wikipedia, and some blackberry fruits (also thanks to Wikipedia, and Fir0002).

Happy harvesting, happy hunting, and happy poetry reading and submitting, if you are so inclined. And happy blackberry eating.