UNDER THE GREEN CORN MOON

The Lake Sturgeon surface
The blueberry fruit ripens
When the August full moon
Is at its perigee

Beneath the Green Corn Moon
On one warm summer’s night
In my young childhood life
My father awoke me

Softly saying as he carried me
Before the tall crisp prairie
“Come hear the corn grow
Under the full moon’s glow”

Like a bowl of cereal
Covered in cold milk
Topped with sweet sugar
The growing young corn spoke

“Snap…Crackle…and…Pop!”
Choirs of crickets and frogs
Joined growing pains’ song
Of expanding cobs and stalks

Under the Verde Maize Luna
Upon my dad’s shoulder
My head fell back asleep
And dreamed dreams sweet

August full moon is often referred to as the Sturgeon Moon. During this time restless Lake Sturgeon arise from the murky depths to prowl the surface at night.  But Augusts’ full moon is more often called the Green Corn Moon.  During this period of warm humid nights, corn grows at such an accelerated rate you can actually hear it.
Yet another popular folk name for the August full moon is the Blue Berry Moon, because either by design or by coincidence, this is when blue berry’s and many other fruit ripen.
 Astronomers fondly call Augusts’ full moon the Super Moon, because it looms big in the horizon as it is at its perigee (closest to the earth).
Whatever you want to call it, if you happen to be in farm country during a full August moon, wake your children to listen to the corn grow.  Like me, they’ll never forget the experience.