Gwendolyn Brooks

Tommy

Tommy - meaning Summary

Unexpected Independence

Brooks' "Tommy" depicts a speaker who plants a seed and tends it, only to find it has sprung up on its own. The brief narrative highlights themes of autonomy, surprise, and the limits of human control. The poem functions as a compact parable about parenthood, creativity, or any act of care that ultimately yields independent life, prompting wry acceptance of outcomes beyond the caretaker's plans.

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I put my seed into the ground And said, 'I’ll watch it grow.’ I watered it and cared for it As well as I could know. One day I walked in my back yard, And oh. what did I see! My seed had popped itself right out Without consulting me.

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