OCTOBER

October, the month of the Rosary.
Another month dedicated to Mary.

Question: If you took a poll:
Which month in this land called “Maryland”
would most people prefer: October or May?

October has cool blue days,
some summer, some autumn,
and then Indian summer.

May has beautiful days
some sunshine, some budding flowers,
and then strong hints of summer.

Which month would most people favor?

Hesitation: both months have
so much to offer. Perhaps, that’s why
both months were chosen
as months dedicated to Mary.

I’d vote for October!

Which month would you vote for?

I thought the old hymn
with the old familiar words,
“Tis the month of our mother
the blessed and beautiful days”
referred to October.

Then I looked it up. I lost. It’s May.
I guess that tells me
I have a prejudice for October.

Then with sour grapes I said to myself
that the hymn writer picked May because
May is much easier to rhyme words with it,
words like “way” and “day”.
In fact, the only word I could rhyme
with October is sober.

In the meanwhile, let us enjoy both months,
but especially October – taking nice walks,
enjoying the cool air, praying with a rosary in hand –
contemplating the joyful, glorious, sorrowful
and light bearing mysteries of life. Amen.

© Andy Costello, October 2007