Pumpkins and Poetry

Today I’d like to share two little October-themed poems with you.

“Harvest Moon” is my very first published poem. It appeared in the 2009 Texas Poetry Calendar, and was published under my maiden name, Carie Kinder. I wrote this poem in my head as I drove home from work one October night, the full moon guiding my way.

Harvest Moon

On the way home,
you caught my eye
and took my breath,
jack-o-lantern in the sky.

I barely believed
what I had seen—
I guess we’re all dressed
for Halloween.

The following haiku is one I wrote during an informal poetry class when I was at UT. It was also written before I was married, but, although I always loved the poem, I didn’t submit it for publication until many years later. It too found a home in the Texas Poetry Calendar, in 2013.

Calm, moon-glazed pumpkin
rests peacefully on the porch,
awaiting the knife.

Happy Carving,
Carie