Celebrating the start of the day

“I think what gets a poem going is an initiating line. Sometimes a first line will occur, and it goes nowhere; but other times - and this, I think, is a sense you develop - I can tell that the line wants to continue. If it does, I can feel a sense of momentum - the poem finds a reason for continuing.” – Billy Collins

I’ve written of Collins before and the former Poet Laureate of the U.S.    just continues adding to his body of work and honors, including the recently awarded Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award, given annually to an "internationally acclaimed" author who has "written a distinguished body of work and made a major contribution to the field of literature and letters."

After waking early today – I’m a “morning person” anyway – and while making coffee, I was reminded of the Collins’ poem Morning.  As I re-read it, I also thought it was a perfect share for Saturday’s Poem.  Enjoy!

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

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