Harvest Moon of October

Squash, beans, corn, tomatoes,
ready for the gatherin’;
summer’s bounty ripe in the fields

Full moon of October
turns night into day
Creator’s gift to help us reap the goodness

Under the light of the big fat moon;
working in the fields, gathering in the crops,
the harvesters seem more ghostly than real

Throwing the hay bales on the wagon,
digging the taters from the ground,
pulling the last ear of corn off the stalk

Put up the jars of beans on the shelf,
store the taters and apples in the cellar,
hang the gourds in the rafters to dry

A chill’s in the air, first frost’s comin’ soon;
finishing up the harvest—barn’s burstin’ at the seams
under the glow of the Harvest moon

Chuck Connors, October 3, 2009