A few readers have been surprised by the appearance of Pigeon's old nemesis, Pumpkin John, in THE POET this week.
But Pumpkin John isn't new! In fact, Pigeon and this particular jack-o'-lantern have a long and… interesting… past.
It all started back in 2021, when Pigeon first learned about the concept of jack-o'-lanterns. The following Halloween, Pigeon misremembered the term as "Pumpkin John," and pretty much immediately decided that he was up to no good.
Since then, Pumpkin John has returned almost every autumn, much to Pigeon's dismay.
So, for anyone who might have forgotten (or is meeting Pumpkin John for the first time), here's a little history of Pigeon's greatest enemy.
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Pumpkin John didn’t make an appearance that year, but here are a few of my favorite pumpkin jokes from 2025:
Which brings us to…
2026
To find out what happens next in the saga of Pumpkin John, follow along on Substack!