"Morning" by Billy Collins

Dubbed “the most popular poet in America” by Bruce Weber in the New York Times, Billy Collins is famous for conversational, witty poems that welcome readers with humor but often slip into quirky, tender or profound observation on the everyday, reading and writing, and poetry itself. He served as U.S. Poet Laureate from 2001 to 2003, and as the New York State Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006.

Morning

Why do we bother with the rest of the day,

the swale of the afternoon,

the sudden dip into evening,

then night with his notorious perfumes,

his many-pointed stars?

This is the best—

throwing off the light covers,

feet on the cold floor,

and buzzing around the house on espresso—

maybe a splash of water on the face,

a palmful of vitamins—

but mostly buzzing around the house on espresso,

dictionary and atlas open on the rug,

the typewriter waiting for the key of the head,

a cello on the radio,

and, if necessary, the windows—

trees fifty, a hundred years old

out there,

heavy clouds on the way

and the lawn steaming like a horse

in the early morning.

Collins does a great job of combining simplistic and calm diction along with a carefree tone and much imagery to paint a picture of an ordinary morning routine. For example, he describes a man crawling out of bed one morning and enjoying the calmness of his surroundings. “This is the best/ throwing off the light covers/ feet on the cold floor/ and buzzing around the house on espresso.” This creates a feeling of relaxation and enjoyment within the reader while accurately portraying Collins’ positive perception of an average routine. The worries of the day have yet to begin and the issues of the past are left in the past. This short period of time in the morning is like a fresh beginning to life. Collins refers to the "swale of the afternoon” and “the sudden dip into evening." These phrases present a heavy feeling. The "sudden dip," in particular, makes me think of being rushed into the evening's events. However, the morning "is the best." By repeating the phrase “but mostly buzzing around the house on espresso,” Collins is depicting a fairly meaningful message; there is work to be done, however, even in the midst of such chaos, there is always something to look forward to. In the morning, for instance, an individual’s day can only improve, “dictionary and atlas open on the rug/ the typewriter waiting for the key on the head/ a cello on the radio…” I feel if Collins had chosen to write about the nighttime in a similar way, it probably wouldn't have had the same effect. Morning brings a feeling of renewal and a rebirth. The setting of this poem has everything to do with the overall theme of the poem. Collins is trying to connect with the reader's senses in order to give a tranquil feeling of the morning.