Worm Moon

Picture courtesy of Les Holmes

  Moon-Marketing
    By Richard Le Gallienne

    Let's go to market in the moon,
    And buy some dreams together,
    Slip on your little silver shoon,
    And don your cap and feather;

    No need of petticoat or stocking -

    No one up there will think it shocking.

    Across the dew,
    Just I and you,
    With all the world behind us;
    Away from rules,
    Away from fools,

    Where nobody can find us.

Friday night saw the last full moon of the winter, and my neighbour captured it beautifully, hanging over our house and illuminating the village. It's known as the 'Worm Moon', relating to the time when earthworms are beginning to emerge as the soil starts to warm up in spring. Other names include Chaste Moon, Death Moon, Crust Moon, Sap Moon, Lenten Moon, Crust Moon, the Crow Comes Back Moon and the Sore Eyes Moon.

According to the National Space Centre in Leicester, full Moons happen roughly every 29.5 days, when the Moon is located on the opposite side of the Earth to the Sun and so appears fully illuminated.

The next full Moon will be the "Pink Moon" on 16 April.

Writing Prompts:

• If you were able to go to 'the market moon' what dreams would you buy? Write about them. 
• The poet invites you to wear silver shoes, a cap and feather, no petticoat or stockings. What would you wear for your dream trip to the moon market? Describe your outfit - shocking or not - in your writing.
•  Would you like to leave the world behind with its 'rules and fools' and hide away somewhere? Write about where you would run to and why.
• Look again at all the alternative names for the March full moon. Choose one of them then use your imagination to describe how this name came about.