Tag Archives: Cinderella

What do you do with Halloween pumpkins once they’ve served their purpose and are beginning to rot? At our house, we toss them over the front porch, where the remains can rest in peace hidden by the shrubbery. One summer we were surprised to see a lush vine growing, and it dawned on us: this was the fruit of our former jack-o-lanterns.

I don’t think our vine produced any pumpkins that time, but last year we harvested three pumpkins (and a number of small gourds, similarly birthed) thanks to our hands-free gardening approach, which we highly recommend. The header photo shows this year’s vine.

While not every poem can trace its roots to a specific incident, the one below was directly inspired by that initial vine. It was our own Cinderella story, the cast-off transformed into something beautiful. Peace to your ♥ !

 Ten Months After the Ball

 That October
 while the midnight air
 danced with violins,
 the castle clock
 hushed its warning,
 the gown of gossamer
 spun itself away,
 the mice ran home
 to drafty attic holes,
 and only the pumpkin
 was left by the side
 of the long drive.

 This August
 the midday air
 shimmers with butterflies,
 the wardrobe brims
 with satin and lace,
 the mice dine royally
 on crumbs of Brie.
 In the castle courtyard
 a newborn cries,
 and halfway down the drive,
 a gardener muses over
 a thick, luxuriant vine.

 © Stephanie Malley