In honor of my favorite month!
“October”
by John Updike
The month is amber,
Gold, and brown.
Blue ghosts of smoke
Float through the town.
Great V’s of geese
Honk overhead,
And maples turn
A fiery red.
Frost bites the lawn.
The stars are slits
In a black cat’s eye
Before she spits.
At last, small witches,
Goblins, hags,
And pirates armed
With paper bags,
Their costumes hinged
On safety pins,
Go haunt a night
Of pumpkin grins.
I found my copy of this book at a library book sale years ago, and it was immediately a favorite. Updike’s verses capture the essence of each month in terms children can still relate to, fifty years later. Maria Papova has written about this book and Trina Schart Hyman’s 1999 illustrations on Brain Pickings. There are also poems for several different months included in Papova’s post.
Please be sure to visit Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe for the Poetry Friday Round Up.
Reading to the Core 
Thank you for sharing John Updike’s poem about your favorite month. Given how warm it’s been, I was surprised to already have seen & heard, pre-October, “Great V’s of geese Honk overhead,” It’s a sign of Winter to come. Meanwhile, I’m in no hurry to rush through Fall. Every blessing!
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Love this poem. It would be a good student model. Many good literary elements in such a simple list form. Thanks.
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Yes! That’s just what I was thinking. Has tempted me to try one. 🙂
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What a lucky find! Great poem (new to me).
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Love this celebration of my favorite month, and it’s a new poem for me. Isn’t it fun to find gems like this book at book sales?
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I have this ‘calendar’ & adore it, Katherine. Thanks for reminding me of it again, and for “Their costumes hinged/On safety pins”. Isn’t it terrific!
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I saw this quote on FB — “My favorite color is October.” Perfect for the most perfect month of the year, eh?
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I think I own this book too and have never explored it in depth. Thanks for the nudge!
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