The Pink Moon

Summary

The website content discusses the significance of April's full moon, known as the Pink Moon, through poetry, photography, and reflection on the cycles of nature and its impact on human and animal life.

Abstract

The Pink Moon, a term derived from the blooming of the pink flower Phlox subulata, is April's full moon and symbolizes the transition from winter to spring. The article poetically describes the natural phenomena accompanying this lunar phase, such as the return of ducks, the singing of frogs, the thawing of rivers, and the budding of greenery. It emphasizes the importance of connecting with the moon's cycles as a way to stay attuned to nature's rhythms, drawing a parallel between the moon's phases and the changes in the environment and human emotions. The content also includes a soundcloud link for an auditory experience of the Pink Moon, and introduces Erika Burkhalter, the author, as a multifaceted individual with a deep appreciation for nature, whose work aims to capture and share the wonders of the natural world.

Opinions

The author, Erika Burkhalter, expresses a personal connection to the Pink Moon and its significance in marking the arrival of spring.
There is an appreciation for the way native peoples might have perceived the seasonal changes associated with the Pink Moon, such as the return of ducks and the singing of frogs.
The author suggests that modern society has become disconnected from natural cycles, particularly the phases of the moon, and advocates for re-establishing this connection.
The text conveys a sense of wonder and amazement at the transformation of the environment from a cold, harsh winter to a habitable, flourishing spring.
Burkhalter encourages readers to support writers on Medium by joining the platform, highlighting the importance of sustaining the arts and writing.
The author is open to selling photographs, indicating a desire to share the beauty of nature through her art in a tangible way.

April’s Full Moon

A crimson flush on virgin cheek, a creep of phlox across the prairie, the breaking up of river ice, a pinkened wash across the sky,

spring is nigh, spring is nigh.

She holds firm the land and turns her gaze to full again, watching, watching, she sees all.

The fluttering of beak and feather, the quickening of tender hearts, a softened sigh of warmer breezes, a teasing glimpse of budding green,

spring is nigh, spring is nigh.

The pink moon rises tonight.

April’s full moon is known by many names: The Breaking Ice Moon, The Moon when the Streams are again Navigable, The Frog Moon, The Moon when the Ducks Return, The Phlox Moon, and the Pink Moon.

The “Pink Moon” name came from the observation that Phlox subulata (commonly called creeping phlox or moss phlox), a pink flower native to Eastern North America, began to bloom.

I like to imagine what the native peoples thought when they saw the ducks begin to return (a phenomenon which happens in my own back yard each April) or when they heard the frogs begin to sing. It was also a month when the frozen rivers began to course again, and the tender caress of spring was in the air. After a cold, hungry winter, their world was about to metamorphosize into a more habitable environment, bursting with berries and new greens.

In our modern times, it’s so easy to lose touch with the cycles of the moon. But noticing her phases and remembering all of those beings who have gazed up at her cratered face through the eons and who have shivered with the suck of evening air riding in on the heels of a warm spring day, or who have felt the first flush of love after the isolation of a cold dark winter, helps us to stay in tune with the rhythms of nature.

Erika Burkhalter is a yogi, neurophilosopher, cat-mom, photographer, and lover of travel and nature, spreading her love and amazement for Mother Earth’s glories, one photo, poem or story at a time. (MS Neuropsychology, MA Yoga Studies).

Poetry, Photography, Life

The Pink Moon

April’s Full Moon

The Sweeper Woman of Jaipur

A Literary Impulse Challenge

Riding the Raindrops

A macrophotography response to the SNAPSHOTS “reflections” challenge