Morning Song

The poem opens with “the tiny journalist” (Line 1), which is an oxymoron of sorts because “tiny” refers not only to the journalist’s stature, but also to her age. Journalism is usually associated with professional adults. In the fourth stanza, the speaker explains that the tiny journalist “would / prefer to dance and play” (Lines 7-8), which are suitable activities for a girl her age. The speaker mentions that the tiny journalist would prefer “the world / to be pink” (Lines 9-10), just before stating “It is her job to say / what she sees” (Lines 10-11). Her life could be full of pink toys and other childhood endeavors, but she has a job to do and she does so with the tools at hand: a simple phone, which she “holds […] high / like a balloon” (Lines 6-7). The comparison to a balloon adds a youthful, fun feeling but simultaneously demonstrates how adept she is at holding the phone to capture relevant footage.

Later in the poem, the speaker says that the journalist travels to see “action on far away roads” (Line 26), which implies an adult probably has to accompany her.