This is the seed,
So yellow and round,
That little John Homer hid in the ground.
These are the leaves,
So graceful and tall,
That grew from the seed so yellow and small.
This is the stalk,
That came up between
The leaves so pretty and graceful and green.
These are the tassels,
So flowery, that crowned
The stalk, so smooth, so strong, and so round.
These are the husks,
With satin inlaid,
That grew ‘neath the tassels that drooped and swayed.
Decoration
This is the silk,
In shining threads spun:
A treasure it hides from the frost and the sun.
This is the treasure,—
Corn yellow as gold,—
That satin and silk so softly unfold.
This is the cake,
For Johnny to eat,
Made from the corn so yellow and sweet.