Laughing Corn

Carl Sandburg 1878 (Galesburg) – 1967 (Flat Rock)



There was a high majestic fooling
Day before yesterday in the yellow corn.

And day after to-morrow in the yellow corn
There will be high majestic fooling.

The ears ripen in late summer
And come on with a conquering laughter,
Come on with a high and conquering laughter.

The long-tailed blackbirds are hoarse.
One of the smaller blackbirds chitters on a stalk
And a spot of red is on its shoulder
And I never heard its name in my life.

Some of the ears are bursting.
A white juice works inside.
Cornsilk creeps in the end and dangles in the wind.
Always--I never knew it any other way--
The wind and the corn talk things over together.
And the rain and the corn and the sun and the corn
Talk things over together.

Over the road is the farmhouse.
The siding is white and a green blind is slung loose.
It will not be fixed till the corn is husked.
The farmer and his wife talk things over together.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 17, 2023

51 sec read
105

Quick analysis:

Scheme AB BA CCC XXCX ADXXCBC XXDC
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 903
Words 171
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 2, 2, 3, 4, 7, 4

Carl Sandburg

Carl Sandburg was an American writer and editor best known for poetry. more…

All Carl Sandburg poems | Carl Sandburg Books

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