Love this haiku in its entirety but also as you use an old yet regularly used term for the moon in April:
Full Pink Moon – April This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.
Thanks for the explanation, alan! I never knew exactly what was meant by the term "Pink Moon." I guess that means this haiku is out of season… but no matter, I love it anyway.
It will be fascinating to hear from Polona, someone whose work I really admire. Polona is from Slovenia, so it may be different in that part of Europe as compared to the USA.
Hi, Alan and Dylan, and thanks for your kind words.
Alan, you were spot on with your comment. the april moon is what i had in mind when this haiku came into existence.
There are no specific names for full moons in Slovene folklore but we sometimes use traditional names for months, most of which are difficult if not impossible to translate. But moons and their names have fascinated me since i learned about their existence in the English language and culture (although most of the names were given by the indigenous peoples).
By the way, I write almost all of my poems directly in English. However, it being my second (or, rather, third) language i'm quite used to helping myself with dictionaries and thesauri as well as googling all kinds of stuff…
October 10th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
wonderful, understated work.
October 10th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
so tender !!!
October 10th, 2011 at 4:08 pm
this poem is perfect
October 10th, 2011 at 6:21 pm
Polana,
Most poignant.
October 11th, 2011 at 12:31 am
Wonderful poem actually!
October 11th, 2011 at 10:19 am
Love this haiku in its entirety but also as you use an old yet regularly used term for the moon in April:
Full Pink Moon – April This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.
Farmers Almanac 2012
all my best,
Alan
October 11th, 2011 at 10:20 am
Thanks for the explanation, alan! I never knew exactly what was meant by the term "Pink Moon." I guess that means this haiku is out of season… but no matter, I love it anyway.
October 11th, 2011 at 10:28 am
Hi Dylan! ;-)
It will be fascinating to hear from Polona, someone whose work I really admire. Polona is from Slovenia, so it may be different in that part of Europe as compared to the USA.
Alan
October 12th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Hi, Alan and Dylan, and thanks for your kind words.
Alan, you were spot on with your comment. the april moon is what i had in mind when this haiku came into existence.
There are no specific names for full moons in Slovene folklore but we sometimes use traditional names for months, most of which are difficult if not impossible to translate. But moons and their names have fascinated me since i learned about their existence in the English language and culture (although most of the names were given by the indigenous peoples).
By the way, I write almost all of my poems directly in English. However, it being my second (or, rather, third) language i'm quite used to helping myself with dictionaries and thesauri as well as googling all kinds of stuff…
October 16th, 2011 at 9:50 am
Thanks Polona, it's great to see a reply from the author, and I feel I've learned a lot, which as a fellow writer, I love. ;-)
Alan
October 12th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
thank you for all your kind comments, everyone. they are much appreciated.
October 20th, 2011 at 9:33 am
lovely it is an excruciating task to write in a foreign language.laudible
October 23rd, 2011 at 4:39 pm
Well done. Very nice poem