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.
From Little People’s Speaker, 1889
