This is Poetry Moment on WPSU – a weekly program featuring the work of contemporary Pennsylvania poets. Your host is poet and author Marjorie Maddox, a 2023 Monson Arts Fellow, author of more than 20 books, and Professor Emerita of English and Creative Writing at the Lock Haven campus of Commonwealth University.
Welcome to Poetry Moment. I’m Marjorie Maddox.
A mini quiz for February 2nd: Where is Gobbler’s Knob and what in the world is a “whistle pig”? You know the answers if you relish prognostications, your name is Phil, and you’ve been mistaken for a giant squirrel. Otherwise, check out the clues in today’s poem, “On Gobbler’s Knob,” by Shirley Stevens.
Shirley Stevens was a member of the first graduating class of Quaker Valley in 1957 and went on to teach there from 1961 to 2001, for which she was awarded the Teacher of Excellence Silver Award. She was a member of St. David’s Christian Writers Association, the Pittsburgh Literary Society, and the Squirrel Hill Poetry Group. Her poetry appeared in Poet Lore, Time of Singing, and Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania. She is the author of the chapbook Pronouncing What We Wish to Keep. Sadly, she passed away on April 25, 2022.
On every February 2nd upwards of 40,000 enthusiasts gather on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxatawny, Pennsylvania where, at sunrise, they witness firsthand the fate of winter. Will Punxatawny Phil see his shadow and curse us with six more weeks of cold weather? By the time this episode airs, we’ll all know the answer.
Weather-predicting rodents date back to 1886, with hedgehogs being the preferred furry forecaster in Germany. When German immigrants settled in Punxsatawny, hedgehogs were scarce. Hence, today’s honored groundhog, a hibernating animal, won the role.
Originating in Medieval times, Candlemas Day also falls on February 2nd. According to the president of the Punxsatawny Groundhog Club, “clergymen would put candles out for winter. Those candles represented how long and cold the winter would be” (Forbes Magazine). Then there’s that ancient timeteller Stonhenge. Listen as Shirley Stevens weaves history into her poem “On Gobbler’s Knob.” Oh, and if you haven’t figured it out yet, a “whistle pig” is another name for a groundhog. When they sense danger, they whistle—just like a pig.
Here’s “On Gobbler’s Knob” by Shirley Stevens
On Gobbler’s Knob
We gather on the hill outside Punxsutawney
to draw tight circles against the dark.
Five thousand strong, we twist and shout
to circulate blood to our frozen toes,
then dance “The Pennsylvania Polka,”
bellow “Roll out the barrel” in the snow.
At six a.m. comet candles, flares, wheels of light
burst against the dark, and I think of Stonehenge
where Druid priests lit bonfires
against the endless nights.
Our hopes volley as
sizzlers salute the whistle pig
who whispers to the handler in his top hat:
“Six more weeks.” Winter rules.
Previously published in Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania (Penn State University Press, 2005).
That was “On Gobbler’s Knob” by Shirley Stevens. Thanks for listening.
Listen for Poetry Moment with Marjorie Maddox, Mondays during Morning Edition and All Things Considered on WPSU. You can view more episodes at wpsu.org/poetrymoment.
Our theme music is by Eric Ian Farmer.
