Pumpkins And Poetry

From humble gourd to king of Autumn in America, the orange winter squash has become synonymous with Halloween. The humble gourd is transformed into a warrior that keeps the supernatural at bay.  We owe so much to the pumpkin!

We really owe it to the Irish immigrants who began travelling across the sea to the new world, that the pumpkin began to become a Halloween staple. The gourd, native to North America, was conveniently ready for harvest in autumn, and was far more plentiful than turnips. Yes, turnips and other vegetables, not pumpkins, were carved with faces to scare off spirits. In fact, the Celts who began the holiday had likely not seen a pumpkin before. 

It seems only fitting that this humble gourd would be immortalized in poetry by the great Carl Sandburg.

Photo by Brian Wegman □ on Unsplash

Theme in Yellow

​​I spot the hills 
With yellow balls in autumn. 
I light the prairie cornfields 
Orange and tawny gold clusters 
And I am called pumpkins. 
On the last of October 
When dusk is fallen 
Children join hands 
And circle round me 
Singing ghost songs 
And love to the harvest moon; 
I am a jack-o'-lantern 
With terrible teeth 
And the children know 
I am fooling.

​Carl Sandburg - 1878-1967

Pumpkins, Poetry and The Human Experience

It has been said that poetry is one of the most important forms of expression there is. As part of our heritage for centuries, it is an important part of our cultural identity. Poetry can teach us history that connects us to our ancestors, and our community. It can help us understand and empathize with the experiences of others. By reading and writing poetry, we can connect with our past, present, and future selves and with the world around us.

Do you have a poem that has special meaning for you? Do you love or hate the pumpkin? Let me know in the comments!