Strawberry Moon

Tonight is June’s full moon. Mary Oliver’s poem, for those readers who are reading her book, Twelve Moons, as a lunar calendar with me, is Strawberry Moon.

Inevitably, in a project like this, some poems will appeal more than others. This one, a sad, familiar story of unfaithful young men and the havoc they wreak on the lives of the women who love them, is very much a nature poem—it’s just not an aspect of Nature I care to dwell on, personally.

So, as it is the strawberry moon, here’s a picture of our strawberry bed.

strawberry patch

The homestead strawberry patch. It’s smaller than usual, as we recently cut it back a bit (Photo: Mark Zeiger).

Haines is famous for strawberries, thanks to Charlie Anway, a pioneer in plant crossbreeding. Most of our strawberries are from those grown by the previous owners, so we’re not sure of their origin. We’ve picked up a few “pedigreed” Anways here and there, and may have brought a few of our own from Juneau. Whatever the source, they grow modestly in our garden, get slaughtered by the voles and even the squirrels, but each year we get some, and they’re delicious!

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