In the Pink

I saw it written and I saw it say. Pink Moon is on its way.

Saw it written and I saw it say
Pink moon is on its way
And none of you stand so tall
Pink moon gonna get ye all

And it's a pink moon
Hey, it's a pink moon
Pink, pink, pink, pink, pink moon
Pink, pink, pink, pink, pink moon

I saw it written and I saw it say
A pink moon is on its way
And none of you stand so tall
Pink moon gonna get ye all

It's a pink moon
Yeah, it's a pink moon

Nick Drake, Pink Moon

Photo by Ted Balmer on Unsplash

Look to the east on Saturday night. The first full moon of spring, the first full moon after the vernal equinox, will arise as a micro-moon. This is the smallest full moon of the year because the earth and the moon are separated by the greatest distance. The moon, albeit it diminutive, is still significant. It is the Pink Moon. Named not for its color but that it shines while wild Moss Pinks are starting to bloom (Phlox subulata.)

Phlox were important to me as a child. It is a native low-growing plant that is universally distributed across the eastern part of this country. It is especially dear to southerners. Spring-time banks were covered in a patchwork of the various hues. Pink to lavender to white, pale orchid, and blue. We called it Thrift.

“Their front bank, the one on the road, is completely covered in Thrift.” One way to say it. “Purtiest sight I ever seen.” Another. “Gonna dig me a start of that. Every color. When they ain’t lookin.” All forms of adoration of this little native groundcover.

It always blooms in conjunction with the first full moon in April. The Pink Moon. Which is also the full moon before Easter. This year, the moon waxes full the evening before Palm Sunday. April 12, 2025.

Neither of these images are mine. But they illustrate my musings.

So, here is sit. Two days before the moon is full. Pink Moon by Nick Drake is rattling around in my head. What a talent lost way too soon. The song from the early seventies, along with the playlist of the album by the same name, hold their place in the music of our time. That spirit of the tragic singer-songwriter colors our vision.

I love the word, Phlox. It takes me back, way back. This genus is a stalwart in southern gardens. Borders and banks are lined with Phlox subulata, for sure, but there are many other Phlox species that dominate.

A favorite childhood memory finds me and my grandmother out in the woods near Doty Springs. We were digging up a start of Wild Sweet William, the common name of a perennial wildflower, Phlox divaricata. This little vernal beauty is often pale lilac-blue to almost pure white. It is as delicate as its cousins are showy. Certainly a southern garden treasure

.I could well be wrong, but I was surprised by this little pale beauty in Julington-Durbin peninsula the other day. It has five petals and might well be a variety of Phlox. I’m not so sure.

Doty Springs refers to a community and a church on the eastern edge of Attala County, Mississippi. There is a Baptist Church there. I’m not sure of the building’s history, but I assume it was not the first church on the property. The cemetery is filled with names that land on my family tree.

Down the hill from the church is a spring. A small one with a culvert pipe sunk into it. The water is cool and sweet. The woods around the spring are full of wonderful plants. I remember possum haw hovering over wild ferns as high as my thigh bone. Back then we had no idea that digging up plants in the woods was not a good idea. Everybody did it. There were always more.

Later on in the year came the tall garden phlox, another native species, Phlox paniculata. These plants bloom late season and stand close to three feet high. The colors range from deep pink to white. In town, my grandfather’s garden was full of the tall pink beauties.

And it's a pink moon
Hey, it's a pink moon

And it’s on its way. Saturday night we will see the full Pink Moon. Why is it significant? What does it mean?

Our species revels in its holidays. The natural ones, the appropriated ones and the completely made up ones.

The natural celebration this time of year is certainly the advent of spring. The Pink Moon rides high into the sky and lets us know that it’s that time. Time to set your crop in the ground. Time to take care of livestock who are falling into their reproduction cycle. Time to watch out for hungry bears who are waking from the lazy winter cold. Snakes start squirming and fish start feeding on the top of the water. Life wakes up in the spring.

The early Christians were smart to pick this time of year to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. It a beautiful segue from the ancient Pagan traditions that preceded it. The symbology anchored with bunnies, birds and blossoms all seem to fit the idea of redemption, rebirth, and new life.

Saturday night go out and look to the east. Listen to Pink Moon. The whole album. You can laugh at memories of springs going by. You can cuss the weeds that interrupt your manicured perfection. You might remember tromping through the woods with your grandmother looking for wildflowers. But understand that it’s there.

This shining orb reminds us that things change. As bleak as our winters have been there is always a spring coming. It’s blanketed with wild moss pinks.

And none of you stand so tall
Pink moon gonna get ye all

Live in the Pink.