This morning was something. A little snow
lay on the ground. The sun floated in a clear
blue sky. The sea was blue, and blue-green,
as far as the eye could see.
Scarcely a ripple. Calm. I dressed and went
for a walk — determined not to return
until I took in what Nature had to offer.
I passed close to some old, bent-over trees.
Crossed a field strewn with rocks
where snow had drifted. Kept going
until I reached the bluff.
Where I gazed at the sea, and the sky, and
the gulls wheeling over the white beach
far below. All lovely. All bathed in a pure
cold light. But, as usual, my thoughts
began to wander. I had to will
myself to see what I was seeing
and nothing else. I had to tell myself this is what
mattered, not the other. (And I did see it,
for a minute or two!) For a minute or two
it crowded out the usual musings on
what was right, and what was wrong — duty,
tender memories, thoughts of death, how I should treat
with my former wife. All the things
I hoped would go away this morning.
The stuff I live with every day. What
I’ve trampled on in order to stay alive.
But for a minute or two I did forget
myself and everything else. I know I did.
For when I turned back i didn’t know
where I was. Until some birds rose up
from the gnarled trees. And flew
in the direction I needed to be going.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Raymond Carver's poem This Morning

4 Comments

  1. Sean Kriner says:

    this poem makes me sad, although there’s a minute or two of happiness and seeing, although that somehow makes me sad, too
    Right and Wrong and all the pettiness that I am weighed down with and self tortured by
    missing all of the other minutes. The human condition maybe. Sad definitely.

  2. Virginia Yuan says:

    I am always wondering the sentence “this morning was somthing”,how to translate it into chinese!

  3. Rob says:

    Beautiful in its simplicity and clarity…..

  4. john says:

    wonderful poem by Raymond Carver definetly one of his bests.

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