Summons Poem by Robert Francis

Summons

Rating: 3.9


Keep me from going to sleep too soon
Or if I go to sleep too soon
Come wake me up. Come any hour
Of night. Come whistling up the road.
Stomp on the porch. Bang on the door.
Make me get out of bed and come
And let you in and light a light.
Tell me the northern lights are on
And make me look. Or tell me clouds
Are doing something to the moon
They never did before, and show me.
See that I see. Talk to me till
I'm half as wide awake as you
And start to dress wondering why
I ever went to bed at all.
Tell me the walking is superb.
Not only tell me but persuade me.
You know I'm not too hard persuaded.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Rob Burns 17 February 2013

I think it is about those people that enter our lives and open the doors. The people who we never expect to come along. We don't plan for the meeting, it is the spontaneous nature of time and chance that puts these people in our lives that they change us, a sea change into something rich and strange.

12 1 Reply
Kiarra Smith 13 June 2007

At Missouri Fine Arts Academy, we tried to analyze this poem. To me, it should be read in an almost mystical way with a soft voice. Though it sounds like death, I personally think it is about inspiration. The sleeping person is ignoring creativity and the beauty of life, yet wants to experience it. That is why the narrator is asking 'Persuade me'. This is shown throughout the poem by the things the narrator wants to see such as the beautiful aurora borealis. They tell them to 'Knock on the porch. Bang on the door' meaning to force them to listen even if they have to shout, 'Look! Look at all of the wonder you are missing! ' They want to see these things before they become a prisoner of their own negativity which is proven in the line 'Keep me from going to sleep too soon.' Of course, this is just my opinion. At the age of 17 now, it could change when I'm 20 or 30.

10 2 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 20 August 2022

Magificently responded, dear Kiarra, you were 17, now you are 32, but I think your opinion about this poem is still the same, since my opinion is like that too and I am much much older than you. Thank you!

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Sylvia Frances Chan 28 December 2023

I revisit this poem since the poem is chosen again as The Modern Poem Of The Day. Good work, dear Poet

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Kanniappan Kanniappan 19 September 2013

Is it for lazy people to wake up early for walking as exercise, in the health point of view?

0 11 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 26 February 2024

CONGRATS being chosen by Poem Hunter and Team as The Modern Poem Of The Day!

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Sylvia Frances Chan 26 February 2024

B - two: Throughout the poem, the poet's love for someone is evident. The desire to share this love and connect with another person drives the poem's emotional core. TOP Marks 5 Stars.

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Sylvia Frances Chan 26 February 2024

B - one: This desire is interconnected with other simple wishes, all of which reflect a childlike innocence. He yearns to be convinced to rise in the morning, emphasizing their vulnerability and openness to persuasion.e.

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Sylvia Frances Chan 26 February 2024

C: It portrays innocence, love, and the persuasive power of human connection. The poet's simple yearning invites readers to reflect on the small yet profound moments that shape our lives.

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Sylvia Frances Chan 26 February 2024

A: The poem beautifully captures the poet's desire to be awakened in unique and mysterious ways. It opens with the poet's innocent longing to have someone prevent them from sleeping too soon or wake them up if they do.

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Robert Francis

Robert Francis

Pennsylvania / United States
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