Prose Poem · Autumn
Instructions for the First Cold Morning
1Wake before the heat comes on and let the house be honestly cold for one minute.
2Go to the window. The grass is silvered and the breath of the world is visible at last.
3Do not reach for the season you wanted. This is the season you were given; greet it.
4Put on the heavy sweater that smells of last year and forgive yourself for last year.
5Make the coffee. Hold the cup. Begin the day on the side of the living.
Original poem © QuillOak — personal sharing is permitted.
“Instructions for the First Cold Morning” by The QuillOak Editors — quilloak.com/poems/instructions-for-the-first-cold-morning-prose-poem
Quick facts
- Poem
- Instructions for the First Cold Morning
- Poet
- The QuillOak Editors
- Length
- 5 lines
- Form
- Prose Poem
- Themes
- Autumn, Hope, Life
Text, source & rights
A traceable edition
Original QuillOak text. Personal sharing is permitted; other reuse requires permission.
- Author record
- The QuillOak Editorstoday
- Source record
- QuillOak originalInstructions for the First Cold Morning, authored for QuillOak by The Quillery
- Display decision
- Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
- Publication record
- Not recorded in the imported source
- Text fingerprint
- SHA-256 6e5f4b52a257ac84…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
Keep reading
The Kitchen at Night
The QuillOak Editors
5 lines · prose poem
Death Is Nothing at All
Henry Scott Holland · 1910
25 lines · prose poem
Autumn Evening (haiku)
Matsuo Bashō · 1680
3 lines · haiku