I love to learn about all the different moons, and think about those who named them so long ago. It’s funny how relevant the names are still, today, and how we still celebrate them in our own ways. The Flower Moon is traditionally the fifth Full Moon of the year, and it happens in May. It’s a time of renewal, growth, and abundance. This is the time to sow seeds before the Summer rains arrive and to prepare for the coming harvest.
The name comes from a belief that flowers grow more abundantly during this time of the year, and people have traditionally associated the full moon with an increased sense of optimism and hope. While it’s true that May is the month when some species of plants are in bloom, this is more likely a result of favorable weather conditions than anything else. The increased levels of sunlight, warmth, and humidity during this month can help to foster plant growth.
This piece, Full Flower Moon by Kat Everitt, is a poem and a true ode to this blossoming season, and the seasons that come after, though they aren’t named in the poem (June is the Strawberry moon, by the way). I love how whimsical this poem is, just reading it feels like a dance in the garden. I hope you enjoy it.
From the Flower Moon to Every Moon Thereafter
This poem comes from our archive that spans over 30 years and includes more than 130 magazine issues of GreenPrints. Pieces like these that inject gardening stories into everyday life lessons always brighten up my day, and I hope it does for you as well. Enjoy!
Full Flower Moon
By Kat Everitt
Now we plant for Summer:
our Dorinny Sweet Corn,
our Copenhagen Market Cabbage,
our Provider Bush Snap Beans,
our Red Cored Chantenay Carrots,
our Flashy Trout Back Lettuce,
our Bloomsdale Long Standing Spinach,
our Flat Leaf Italian Parsley,
our Green Romaines,
our Plum Purple Radishes, and
our Joan Turnips . . .
oh, and so many more seeds,
to be planted by Mother’s Day,
at the latest—but best, by
This Planting Moon—
May’s Full Flower Moon . . .
then, as This Moon wanes,
we’ll plant all the root crops for
Fall—we’ll set the Summer
transplants, and the names
of all these Plants and the
tastes of all these Plants
will roll off our tongues so
easily, and all the Flowers
will wave companionably,
and we’ll sing ancient songs,
about how we plant, and when,
and how human and good,
All of This, Is . . . . ❖
By Kat Everitt, published originally in 2016, in GreenPrints Issue #118.
Did you enjoy this poem about the Flower Moon? Do you have a favorite harvest moon? I’d love to hear your favorite spring and summertime poems!
