Prompt #140 – Morning, Noon, Evening, Night

Have you ever described yourself as a morning or nighttime person? A lark or a night owl? Some of us are raring to go first thing in the morning, while others “come alive” at night. There are also afternoon and evening people who prefer those times of the day for getting things done. With this prompt, I’d like you to think about various times of day and night and work one into a poem.

Things to Think About:

• How are morning, afternoon, evening and night symbols of life’s stages? Can you use find a way to use this metaphor in a new way that isn’t trite or “already done?”

• Think about whether you’re a morning, afternoon, evening, or night person? Can you compare yourself to a particular animal or bird that you might use as a metaphor for yourself in a poem?

• Think of ways in which you can incorporate morning, afternoon, evening, or night into a poem.

• Is there a particular time of day that you especially enjoy?

• Has something (good or not-so-good) happened to you at a particular time of the day?

• Remember the old adage, “timing is everything?” How can you relate that to a poem in which you incorporate a time of day, afternoon, evening, or night?

• If someone does something “morning, noon, and night” that means the person does it most of the time. Is there a poem there for you? Maybe something with a humorous slant? 

Examples:

"Another Rehearsal for Morning" by Joseph Massey

"Cold Morning" by Eamon Grennan

"Morning at the Window" by T. S. Eliot

"This Morning" by Charles Simic

"The Afternoon Sun" by C. P. Cavafy

"Early Saturday Afternoon, Early Evening" by Charles Wright (audio)

"An Evening Train" by Timothy Liu

"Autumn Evening" by David Lehman

"Let Evening Come" by Jane Kenyon

"Acquainted with the Night" by Robert Frost