The Pumpkin Man
           John McCutcheon
There's something in my garden
So big and orange and round
It started just a little seed
When I stuck it in the ground
But now it doesn't look at all
Like what it did last spring
Hey, won't somebody tell me
What the heck you call this thing?
Oh, the pumpkin man
With a big, round head
Smile so bright
And eyes so red
I with jack-o-lanterns hung from the sky
And the seas were made of pumpkin pie
My mommy and my daddy
My dog and my pal, John
Ran out to the garden
To see what was going on
My mommy said, "It's squash, my son"
My daddy called it spice
John just laughed and my dog just barked
and jumped up once or twice
Then John said, "Ain't you never seen
"A pumpkin plant before?
"Why, you carve 'em up for Halloween
"And you stick 'em right by your door
"With two big eyes and a funny nose
"And a toothy smile below
"Then you stick a candle in its head
"To make the whole thing glow."
So now I grow up pumpkins
For my neighbors all around
But still I just don't understand
How they get so big and round
My mommy says, "It's nature"
My dad says, "A miracle"
John just laughs and my dog just barks
And I like that best of all.