Lughnasadh

I went for a walk tonight and could feel the turning of the season. The blue aster is out. We bought native corn on Saturday and I watched the blue moon at midnight with the river rising. Pagans call this time Lughnasadh.

August (Revenge of Lughnasadh)

The harvest will begin
after these messages
from the creator of
the consequence of is—
the corn is standing tall;
already tomatoes wear
religion on their sleeve;
first growth is laissez faire
with emphasis on gold.
Our foster mother lies
beneath those amber waves
we’ll soon commercialize
in great Olympic Games
that migrants play. Play ball!
John Deere is stealing grain
for low point alcohol
before he’s out at home.
The nights are growing long
in tooth like vampire bats
on fluoride evensong.
And somewhere in the north
the midnight sun is deader
than Christianity.
Even the sky grows redder.

Kathlenen Dupree writes:

Lughnasadh is named for Lugh, the Celtic deity who presides over the arts and sciences. According to Celtic legend, Lugh decreed that a commemorative feast be held each year at the beginning of the harvest season to honor his foster mother, Tailtiu. Tailtiu was the royal Lady of the Fir Bolg. After the defeat of her people by the Tuatha De Dannan, she was obliged by them to clear a vast forest for the purpose of planting grain. She died of exhaustion in the attempt. The legend states that she was buried beneath a great mound named for her, at the spot where the first feast of Lughnasadh was held in Ireland, the hill of Tailte. At this gathering were held games and contests of skill as well as a great feast made up of the first fruits of the summer harvest.