"Morning" by Billy Collins

William James "Billy" Collins, an American poet given the title Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003 was born in March of 1941. He is a professor at Lehman College in New York and is 73 years old.

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. 

 

This work's context stems from one's experience with the early hours of the day. The time when we awake at the crack of dawn to begin our day with a regular routine that readies us for the later portions of the day. Mornings, in my eyes at least, tend to be the most grueling part of the day. Forced out of the warm embrace of a bed into the noticeably cooler air with the alarm clock screaming at you all with the yearning for just five more minutes of peace on a pillow. As you slowly and groggily begin your morning routine, a million different things begin to rush through your head which is not completely up and running. Yet, with this in mind, Collins has a different, opinion on this time of day. He embraces the havoc, complete with his "feet on the cold ground" and "a splash of water on the face." Collins finds enjoyment amongst the time filled with "buzzing around the house on espresso," questioning "why do we even bother with the rest of the day?" He sees it as the opening of his day, where he finds excitement in starting a new page in the book of life. The rest of the hours seem bleak and boring, compared to the early morning rush to get out of bed and right to work. This shows his passion for writing and creating poems by being excited about beginning his daily tasks, even further referenced when he mentions the "dictionary and atlas open on the rug," presumably from the night before. By using these early morning elements, Collins' use of context deepens the meaning of the poem.

Labels: Context