Poetry Xtras » "Morning" by Deborah Ager

After seeing an exhibit that explored repetitive tasks at the local modern art museum, I wrote this poem. The artist built machines that completed repetitive tasks—such as signing a name, sweeping a floor—over and over. The machines never stopped. Then a friend who's a mother told me how her family took up so much time. When I read the Aristotle quote, I decided to experiment with putting the three ideas together. We perform many tasks again and again in our lives and they become a part of us whether we like it or not.