* MADE IN PART FROM CORN
OR CORN-FED ANIMALS
by Jason Lee Brown
“...to have some corn with your corn.”
— Michael Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma
1.
The family’s unsatisfied appetite* moans morning and night. Father and Mother slumber off the
mattress* hungry for more food*. Daughter and Baby stay warm between comforters* and linens*.
*
Cob: the plant’s
most valuable product.
*
We are proud America's number
one field crop consumes
our soil’s nutrients for us
and the rest of the world.
2.
Father scrubs strawberry shampoo* into his hair, the plastic shower curtain* sticking to his leg. Mother brushes her teeth with cinnamon toothpaste*. She massages lotion* into her elbows before applying lipstick* and facial makeup*. He douses his toes with Tinactin Foot Powder*.
*
Husk: leaves tightly wrap the precious
ear for protection.
*
We find no merits to the rumor
that the love handles of Illinois,
Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota,
Ohio, Kentucky, South Dakota,
Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska,
Kansas, or Missouri sag too far
over our tightly cinched belt.
3.
For breakfast*, the family drinks orange juice*. Father scarfs down eggs*, sausages*, and pancakes*. Mother serves waffles* smothered in syrup* for Daughter who’s already eaten a bowl of cereal*, and Baby smears sweat peas* across his cheeks and spills apple juice*. Father pops an aspirin* before leaving for work.
*
Roots: grow deep through
the soil’s nutrients.
*
Cornfields feast across
every continent save Antarctica,
but when we develop a corn
that grows in ice, we’ll fix that.
4.
The pump’s beak spits gas * across Father’s shirt and tie. At work, he recycles cardboard* and paper* and books with broken bindings*. He snacks on pickles* and tortilla chips* that crumb up the carpet* below his chair*. While placing stamps* on envelopes*, he wonders if he can talk his wife into fish sticks* and pork* and beans* for dinner. He chews gum* in anticipation.
*
Kernels: there are numerous ways
to consume the seed.
*
Why shouldn’t you know
a pound of corn consists
of 1,300 kernels?
5.
Mother calls in because Daughter and Baby are sick. Daughter scrawls a crayon* across a coloring book*. Diarrhea* escapes out the side of Baby’s diaper*. Mother measures syrupy medicine*. While Daughter and Baby nap, Mother pours detergent* into the washer, takes out the trash* sack*, and mops the linoleum*. She dumps dog food* in the bowl then sprays Febreze* across Dog’s bedding*.
*
Silk: long soft threads
that top the ear of corn,
one for every kernel.
*
Why shouldn’t you know
a hundred bushels produces
7,280,000 kernels?
6.
Snack time, Mother places on a paper plate* peanut butter* and marmalade* sandwiches* for Daughter. Baby munches on cheese* and bread*. For lunch, Daughter eats frozen pizza* with a side of canned fruit* and drinks fruit punch* from a plastic cup*. Mother heats soup* and squirts Cheez Whiz* on crackers* for herself. For dessert, she spoons yogurt*. Daughter begs for pudding* and Nilla Wafers*.
*
Stalk: the plant’s stem
grasping for the sky.
*
We will teach you,
so repeat after us,
the average ear of corn
has eight hundred kernels.
7.
Most lunches, he eats chips* and hot dogs* or bologna* sandwiches* covered in mustard*, mayonnaise*, and relish*. Today, he splurges on the surf and turf, salmon* and medium-well steak* he dips in ketchup*. He washes it down with orange soda*.
*
Tassel: the attractive male flower
at the top of the plant
that releases more than
five million grains of pollen.
*
You enjoy knowing one bushel
(about 27,000 kernels)
sweetens more than
400 cans of Coca-Cola*.
8.
Mother flours* and seasons* chicken* that sizzles in cooking oil*. She smothers the salad with dressing*. While slurping his Miller Lite*, Father tops buttered* biscuits* with gravy*. For dessert, Daughter doubles up on s’mores* and brownies* with frosting* then chugs another Mountain Dew*. Mother enjoys a root beer* and ice cream* float*.
*
Plant: knee high
by the Fourth of July.
*
Try beating the world’s record
by eating thirty-four ears
of corn in twelve minutes.
9.
Father midnight-snacks on cheese puffs* and Slim Jims* while Mother sips wine*. Daughter and Baby sleep on their pillows* dreaming* of tomorrow’s day*.
Return to table of contents.