The Little Plant
by Kate Brown
In the heart of a seed,
Buried deep, so deep,
A dear little plant
Lay fast asleep.
“Wake!” said the sunshine,
“And creep to the light.”
“Wake!” said the voice
Of the raindrops bright.
The little plant heard,
And it rose to see
What the wonderful
Outside world might be.
“The Little Plant” by Kate Brown is a poem also commonly titled “In the Heart of a Seed,” using its opening line as an alternate title. Sources consistently attribute it to Kate Brown.
The poem is a very simple but evocative description of germination and the awakening of a seed. Brown imagines a tiny plant sleeping inside a seed, buried underground. The sunshine and raindrops are personified as voices calling the plant to “wake” and move toward the light. The little plant responds by rising from its hidden place to discover the outside world. What makes the poem particularly appealing is its childlike personification of natural processes. The seed doesn’t simply germinate biologically; it hears the sunshine and rain and makes the almost adventurous decision to emerge. The poem therefore turns the ordinary process of plant growth into a small story of awakening, curiosity, and discovery.
There is also a nice contrast between the hidden world and the visible world: the plant begins “deep” inside the seed and ends by looking outward at the “wonderful / Outside world.” That movement from darkness to light makes the poem especially appropriate for photographs of seeds, sprouts, buds, or newly emerging plants, all of which I plan on having more of in the future.
Interestingly, the poem has been used in elementary-school materials to introduce children to the life cycle of plants, which fits its straightforward language and gentle imagery.