Poetic Thursday: Autumn Nights Inspired by Carl Sandburg

Every Thursday, I post a poetry-writing prompt here on the site.  This weekly tradition is designed to help you explore new ideas, experiment with different writing techniques, and expand your literary horizons.  My aim is to is to provide you with thought-provoking themes, intriguing images, or captivating wordplay that will stimulate your artistic senses.  You are free to interpret the prompt in any way you like and express yourself through poetry or creative writing.

Fall is my favorite season (unless you haven't noticed yet).  Fall is a season that brings a sense of coziness and introspection.   I always love cuddling up with a good book but it always feels most amazing during those cozy, golden-ember fall evenings.  The crisp air and the tranquil atmosphere provide an ideal setting for reflection and creativity.  For me, Fall has always been a time to reflect and to dream.

I also love reading autumn-themed literary works written by others.  One in particular I love is by Carl Sandburg.  Carl Sandburg, an American poet and writer, was known for the vivid and descriptive imagery in his poetry. His works often captured the essence of the changing seasons, including the beauty and melancholy of fall.

In his poem in "Under the Harvest Moon," Carl Sandburg transports us to an idyllic autumn evening, where the moon shines bright and nature embraces the harvest season. The poem inspires us to reflect on the sense of abundance and gratitude that fall brings.

Under The Harvest Moon

Under the harvest moon,
When the soft silver
Drips shimmering
Over the garden nights,
Death, the gray mocker,
Comes and whispers to you
As a beautiful friend
Who remembers.

Under the summer roses
When the flagrant crimson
Lurks in the dusk
Of the wild red leaves,
Love, with little hands,
Comes and touches you
With a thousand memories,
And asks you
Beautiful, unanswerable questions.

Another one of my favorite poems by Carl Sandburg titled "Theme In Yellow" is a poem written from the perspective of a pumpkin as it watches the autumn season unfold and welcomes Halloween by turning into a jack-o-lantern.  I love the images this poem invokes, particularly the children dancing around the jack-o-lantern beneath the full moon.

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.

By engaging with these poems, we can not only appreciate Sandburg's work but also create our own poetry that pays tribute to the magnificent season of fall.  So, for this week, we are going to use Sandburg's poems as inspiration to write our own poem about fall nights.  

Use descriptive words and evocative language to capture the enchantment of an autumn night.  By focusing on the senses, poets can create a vivid and memorable experience for readers. Use as many senses as possible to pull your reader into the complete atmosphere of a cool autumn night. What do you see? Is there a full moon and pumpkins? How about wind and leaves? Who is there?

Or you can write about the harvest moon.  The harvest moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox, and it is said to have a special, mystical energy. For centuries, people have looked to the harvest moon for guidance and inspiration. For farmers, the harvest moon was a time to finish gathering the crops before the first frost. For hunter-gatherers, it was a time to stock up on food for the winter ahead. For everyone, it was a time to celebrate the bounty of the Earth and give thanks for a good harvest. There is something about the glowing orb in the night sky that makes us feel connected to the natural world and the cycle of the seasons.

And, lastly, if you're in a spooky mood, allow yourself to be inspired by Halloween night.  Some people believe that Halloween is a time of magic. They say that if you make a wish on Halloween night, it will come true. On Halloween night, the moon is always full and bright. It casts an eerie glow over the world, making everything seem more sinister. The shadows seem to come alive and the trees look like they are reaching out to grab you. A cold wind blows through the air, giving you goosebumps. This is the night when the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is at its thinnest. It is a time when ghosts and spirits can wander the Earth. They say that if you listen closely, you can hear them whispering in the wind.

There's an old saying that if you make a wish on Halloween night, it will come true. Perhaps your poem can state a wish or invoke a dream!

This prompt was written specifically for poetry-writing, but you can utilize it for any form of creative writing.

My challenges and prompts are not interactive.  You don't have to come back to link up.  No comments are required, just your creativity!

If you create something you'd like to share with me, please email me at:  shewanderedon@gmail.com and I may showcase your writing on this post!

Have fun, and until next Thursday, happy writing!

BONUS:

Here is the poem I came up with:

September Moon

Full moon, silver glow ascends,

the bare trees play shadow-puppets

as a cat slinks past my window.

This is midnight's secret stage,

stars swing between cloud

like tight-rope dancers,

the wind bends in a pirouette.