Harvest Moon

Moondrop flowers and blue mist...

On a warm night in mid September I saw your reflection 

in the Harvest Moon... a figment of my Imagination... 

I was there to pick vegetables under the Harvest Moon 

when I felt the warmth of your smile caress my silhouette 

against the black of night where mysteries hide under 

pumpkins almost ripe with seeds that may delight the 

Cardinals and their like to a buffet of aphrodisiac aperitifs... 

The magical whispers in the trees and the Owls hoot about 

the state of foreign affairs and the danger of War between 

certain countries who insist upon no tariffs allowed... 

There is a cloud of uncertainty where detente is needed 

We need to come together across the table and shake hands 

to create a Treaty that will be a new beginning... 

with all agreed that the future holds a Promise of Plenty...   

Farmers who know the guidelines to abide by to have a 

Horn of Plenty for everyone... with fruits and vegetables ...  

to share with neighbors of every Creed and Color to 

grow and learn a trade and study to find a cure and 

build Villages for Immigrants to work and raise a family... 

A Thanksgiving Prayer 

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

love the allegory of making treaty with Mother Nature but also how farmers just want to be able to make a living growing things as it used to be...that we can all share...as was done in the very early days of the settlers when the Native Americans shared.
sharing is love and love is sharing.
there is too much selfishness in the world today...the Promise of Plenty for all is disappearing.
Powerful write here, Pat,
j.

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Jacob... we will remember the adage...
"To those who are given much...
much will be expected in return. I believe that most true Americans will rely on the Creme comes to the Top. truly, Pat

[Patricia Wedel]

John F. Kennedy said something similar. In the book of Luke in the Bible is a quote also.

[Patricia Wedel]

To those who much has been given, much is required.

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

You are spot on in this wonderfully creative poem... we need to find harmony with nature again before we become extinct.

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Dale... the two parties are not coming together to even keep a record of who is entering our country with the purpose of having babies to be citizens... and then our country turning into a third world country. The time to turn this around is now... while we still have a strong military and our economy has improved. Thank you for stopping by and realizing that we need to be in tune with nature and make our Country greater than ever. This is our prayer. truly, Pat

[Einstein Noodle]

the turn certainly surprised me Pat .... i would leave one of the repetitions of Harvest moon out or change it (just me) ;) ... the sharp contrast before and after these two lines seem like two very different authors wrote ...
"The magical whispers in the trees and the Owls hoot about
the state of foreign affairs and the danger of War between" i think this could better serve as two poems or some stronger use of metaphor to connect the poetry from straight forward social commentary...or some kind of transition between the poetic before and current affairs after those lines... in America Farmers can be a forgotten clan ... even with being payed for not planting ..and having insurance ... they risk everything every year...my grandfather and great grandfather and my three uncles farmed until they could hold on no longer; as larger and larger entities grew ... and the cost of one piece of needed machinery became out of reach ...and the truth is we still feed the world ... pretty amazing actually ... really appreciate the positive closing .. and the more spiritual/philosophical elevated position "Harvest Moon" takes. .. so much going on in the world these days ... just trying to get a couple to agree on things can be a "War of Roses" let alone Nations .. the title and initial poetic scene, setting and characters woo me .. i am drunk with it ... the turn slaps me in the face and the issues raised are all relevant, current and important .. i sense a neutrality in this presentation and so am not prone to expound nor argue my own views .. but rather think on these things ... search for a way to help this ol' world ... love the closing solution ... "A Thanksgiving Prayer" ... all in all you hooked me... made me think .. God bless dahlink...thank you for sharing! :))) ..
E.

[Patricia Wedel]

dear E... I agree entirely with your critique. It should be two separate poems. However, I will say that in the real world that we are experiencing today, we have no choice, but to be sentimental and tender..
while listening constantly to the news of political descent among our parties. Therefor, my double-edged poem reflects the times we live. While our "leaders" and Corporations, as well as Wall Street and the FDA and "you name it".... the Harvest Moon has come and gone, and we will not see another like it until around 2047... (I will have passed on). I say that the Parties should knell to pray... and try to save our democracy. This is no time to experiment with socialism. I agree that there is "Prophecy" being fulfilled... and our Leaders need to consider the consequences of not being able to compromise, which has resulted in name-calling and improper conduct on both sides of the aisle. "Wake up and smell the Roses"... and also "United we stand... divided we fall" should be on the Walls of Congress.
truly, Pat

[Einstein Noodle]

yes, i say, ... to all you have said .. it occured to me that the contrast might be deliberate .. and it certainly fits, as you say, in our world .. without the serenity we can find it would indeed be the harshest of worlds .. i am politically with you about socialism and the hateful name calling .. no interest in perhaps a differing solution offered .. just vitriolic hateful unfounded attacks .. and character assassinations .. i have cut my "news" attention to about 3-5 % of what it use to be .. not worth the aggravation and high blood pressure ..thank you for sharing your Faith and Conservatism with us ... its is (contrary to the Left) an ethical common sense and Faith driven position .. to be very proud of ... :)

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

My mind immediately went to the first settlers during that first winter and how the Native Americans kept them from starving to death. That kindness was repaid with death and starvation and a trail of tears. I wrote about this years ago but thought it was poetic justice that the government then turned around and took the land through imminent domain (Cades Cove). Justice and righteousness always prevail in the end.

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Linda Marie... yes, we learned of sharing at Thanksgiving, when I was in grade school. Many of us
have Native American ancestors. Many of the tribes were kind and giving people. I appreciate your review... a perfect addition to the feelings that we all have and find a place of honour in poetry as expressed in your review. We all have souls with a spirit, and a heart to accept the Native American people, as they have accepted other people who may have travelled from far to be led by a Star. truly, Pat

[Patricia Wedel]

Also, Linda Marie... I am stunned to think of how tragic and sad the Trail of Tears must surely have been. What we do now.. can be a gesture of embracing the endurance and ingenuity of the Native Americans. I can vouch for the many tribes who have
become part of our healing process. My very own son
married a Navajo young woman he met in SLC, Utah.
They now have two daughters who are half Navajo and the other half is Irish and Hungarian. They are beautiful, bright and loving girls who are well adjusted and love nature and people, as well as going to public schools. Their grades are excellent and hold a promise of a good life full of love and devotion. I share their love of the Great Spirit that is embodied in their inheritance. Thank you Linda Marie for sharing your thoughts. We will never forget the hardships many endured. We endeavor to come together as family... to heal the wounds of the past.
truly, Pat

[barleygirl]

This is an amazing read! Becuz of your use of a "run-on sentence" effect (in a good way), this msg tumbles out like stream of consciousness, so when it gradually transforms from a nature msg to a political one, the sheer adrenaline & momentum of your luscious spill brings us right along with you, during your light rant. You don't exactly state this, but it's clear what you're saying -- the freakin' creatures & living things & even inanimate objects of nature can do it, so why the hell can't we figure it out? (how I feel all the time). Instead of stating this, which will no doubt offend some segment of our population, you just put the two things right next to each other so the contrast is undeniable (unless you're in denial, which happens all the time!) This is a nicely complex ride along your amazing thought waves! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Margie... your critique is graciously received.
It is a time when our country and our world need to
sit back and think about how we can help to find a balance in the midst of confusion. truly, Pat

[Lydia Shutter]

Such a peaceful thought here. If only we could share our resources and let everyone live happily under that harvest moon. The imagery is so lovely albeit a bit Utopian. Your poetry is always colorful and filled with wonder. Lydi**

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Lydia... will the Bahamas ever be a new Atlantis... is a prayer... we will come together
as one where feasible and blend our thoughts and prayers under the Harvest Moon. Thank you for pondering the possibilities. truly, Pat

[Patricia Wedel]

Folks... a perfect time for coming together under
the Harvest Moon... with resources of Citizens with
brilliant minds and ideas ... inspired by those who
have gone before and prepared a way to share and
compromise to search for a solution....