What the Autumn Moon knows
Harvest moon rolls
through the night sky,
keeping an eye
on city and field.
It knows when to polish apples;
when the hedge berries ripen:
blood-red hawthorn, rosehip buds;
blackberry, sloe and elder.
It knows how to decorate leaves sunset-red,
golden-crowns, rusted brown; how to
turn green leaf into crisp parchment;
it knows too where the sweet chestnuts spike.
It knows where hedgehog and badger hide from
frosted earth; how icicles grow cold noses
and grass whitens at Jack Frost’s touch; it knows why
the sullen mist creeps over the hill’s shoulder,
sneaks through streets like a half-seen cat.
It knows when the bonfire’s yellow spirit hisses
and spits flamed tongues and where embers glow
like tiger eyes caged in a furnace.
Pumpkin eyes watch
from Autumn windows;
all-seeing, all-knowing,
the harvest moon watches too.
through the night sky,
keeping an eye
on city and field.
It knows when to polish apples;
when the hedge berries ripen:
blood-red hawthorn, rosehip buds;
blackberry, sloe and elder.
It knows how to decorate leaves sunset-red,
golden-crowns, rusted brown; how to
turn green leaf into crisp parchment;
it knows too where the sweet chestnuts spike.
It knows where hedgehog and badger hide from
frosted earth; how icicles grow cold noses
and grass whitens at Jack Frost’s touch; it knows why
the sullen mist creeps over the hill’s shoulder,
sneaks through streets like a half-seen cat.
It knows when the bonfire’s yellow spirit hisses
and spits flamed tongues and where embers glow
like tiger eyes caged in a furnace.
Pumpkin eyes watch
from Autumn windows;
all-seeing, all-knowing,
the harvest moon watches too.
This poem is copyright (©) Pie Corbett 2026
About the Writer
Pie Corbett
Pie Corbett is an English educational trainer, writer, storyteller and poet. He has edited 24 anthologies and his collection, ‘Evidence of Dragons’ is a classroom staple. He was writer-in residence at the Kent festival, and has appeared at the Cheltenham and Edinburgh Festivals. He has worked on BBC radio and tv programmes, was nominated for a BAFTA and the Japanese Prize for educational tv. He is well-known for creating the Talk for Writing approach to learning, which is widely used within UK primary schools and around the world. A new collection is appearing in September from Otter-Barry Books, titled Dragon Cat.
