(Editor's Note: For Gay Pride Week in Seattle, I thought I would publish a poem by a friend of mine, Jay Hogan. I have always loved this poem of his. By the way, Jay is also an amazing costumer/puppeteer/maker of phenomenal puppets, such as those you see at Risk of Change camp at the Oregon Country Fair. Jay made an AMAZING Ganesh puppet/costume with a beautiful elephant head, and he also made a gorgeous old growth tree costume/puppet, among his many art works...here is one of his poems. Jay gave me permission to perform this song freely, so I am assuming he would be fine with it posted as well...And anyone who knows where Jay *is*, have him write me or tell him to find me at OCF this year! - Kirsten Anderberg aka Mother Zosima)
People and Squashes Can Be In-Between
By Jay Hogan (1990)
My song is of pumpkins that grow on the vine.
The pumpkin and squashes are all friends of mine.
And they have some cousins familiar to you
Cucumbers and melons are cucurbits, too.
The squashes are many; with their hard rinds
Like hubbard and acorn and butternut...so sweet.
They are known for their goodness of their tender meat.
The Indians grew squashes along with corn and beans.
And they found that squashes could be "in-between."
Yes, they knew as I do, if you know what I mean,
That people and squashes can be in-between.
Yes, people, like squashes, can be in-between.
Now pumpkins are squashes, but cantaloupes are not.
Though til the fruit's open, you don't know what you got.
Coz melons and squashes - well some will breed true
And some will cross over so what's it to you?
So the seed industry has taken alarm,
Coz they don't want in-betweens grown on their farm.
So they cover the females before it's too late,
While the male flowers they quickly emasculate.
If you plant a garden then you prob'bly know
How you love your little ones as you watch 'em grow;
But some might surprise you and lately I hear,
That one squash in ten is apt to be queer.
Some people like squashes though some prefer gourds
Some folks love melons and some folks ain't sure
And some lie about it and some live alone
And some, they love pumpkins in the privacy of their home.
Well, I eat zucchini and muskmelon, too.
The straight neck and crook neck and sweet honeydew.
Can you tolerate that? Coz some they cannot,
And some they will bash them and leave them to rot.
If you have some little ones, I'm sure you will find
That some ripen early while some take their time;
And some will surprise you - Oh, it's wondrous to see
For there's all kinds o'folks here in our family.
And there's all kinds of people: May we someday be free.
But I love the pumpkins; I cannot deny
I like jack-o-lanterns, I love pumpkin pie.
Oh yes, I love pumpkins, and I love my own kind,
And this pumpkin has got more than melons on his mind.
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