This week the moon is on the rise. It is a full harvest moon and a lunar eclipse. It is magical and wonderful to take a moment and gaze up into the night sky as the moon ascends. I told a group of kindergarten students to be on the lookout for it, and they came back the next day to tell me what they saw. “A big orange pumpkin colored moon,” one said. “A big glowing circle,” another added. I love to bring young children’s attention to the wondrous nature all around us. These connections are great springboards for reading and writing and drawing.
After reading a post from fellow-blogger, Mitch Teemley, about the supermoon – when there’s a harvest moon together with a lunar eclipse, I decided to write a poem about this wonder. I would be wandering in the wilderness if not for Mitch’s insights and humor. As I sat down to write, I started to play with all the moon words I could think of. Then, I went out at night and watched the moon rise. It changed in color and size. It was as if the clouds were lifting it into the darkness. These images captivated me, and I began to construct the poem.
Picture Books About the Harvest Moon
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 
I adore the way kids describe the natural world!
I need to go to the library this afternoon so I will take a look for some of those titles. Many thanks for sharing them.
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Can I add a title? Wait til the Moon is Full, by Margaret Wise Brown- an oldie but a goodie. I love your piece, all the different aspects of it (you as a learner, as a teacher, as a poet, as a resource.) My favorite line didnt make it into the poem! It was: ‘It was as if the clouds were lifting it into the darkness. ‘
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Love the ribbon of clouds and the glowing up through the haze imagery in the poem, and I also love how you captured the impetus and inspiration of writing the poem!
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Joanne, I enjoyed reading your poem again here, with the added bonuses of your sweet conversation with kindergarteners, the book list, and your learnings about the super moon. So many lovely images in your poem, like “She continues to rise, resting on a ribbon of clouds” Beautiful!
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