John's Pumpkin - Archibald

JOHN’S PUMPKIN

by Mrs. Archibald (1800s-1900s)

Last spring I found a pumpkin seed,

And thought that I would go,

And plant it in a secret place,

That no one else would know,

And watch all summer long to see

It grow, and grow, and grow,

And maybe raise a pumpkin for

A Jack-a-lantern show.

I stuck a stick beside the seed,

And thought that I should shout,

One morning when I stooped and saw

The greenest little sprout!

I used to carry water there,

When no one was about,

And everyday I’d count to see

How many leaves were out.

Till, by and by there came a flower

The color of the sun,

Which withered up, and then I saw

The pumpkin was begun;

But oh! I knew I’d have to wait

So long to have my fun,

Before that small green ball could be

A great big yellow one.

At last, one day, when it had grown,

To be the proper size,

Said Aunt Matilda: “John, see here,

I’ll give you a surprise!”

She took me to a pantry shelf,

And there, before my eyes,

Was set a dreadful row of half

A dozen pumpkin pies.

Said Aunt Matilda: “John, I found

A pumpkin, high and dry,

Upon a pile of rubbish, down

Behind that worn-out sty!”

O, dear, I didn’t cry, because

I’m quite too big to cry,

But honestly, I couldn’t eat

A mouthful of the pie.

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From Little People’s Speaker, 1889