--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But tomorrow, dawn will come the way I…" description: "\"But tomorrow, dawn will come the way I picture her, barefoot and disheveled, standing outside my window in one of the fragile cotton dresses of the poo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/billy-collins-3004_arms_but-tomorrow-dawn-will-come-the-way-i-pi_2879946.jpg" --- # But tomorrow, dawn will come the way I picture her… ![“But tomorrow, dawn will come the way I picture her, barefoot and disheveled, standing outside my window in one of the fragile cotton dresses of the poor. She will look in at me with her thin arms extended, offering a handful of birdsong and a small cup of light.” quote by Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/billy-collins-3004_arms_but-tomorrow-dawn-will-come-the-way-i-pi_2879946.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/billy-collins-3004_arms_but-tomorrow-dawn-will-come-the-way-i-pi_2879946.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/billy-collins-3004_arms_but-tomorrow-dawn-will-come-the-way-i-pi_2879946.jpg) > “But tomorrow, dawn will come the way I picture her, barefoot and disheveled, standing outside my window in one of the fragile cotton dresses of the poor. She will look in at me with her thin arms extended, offering a handful of birdsong and a small cup of light.” [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid, hopeful image of a dawn‑like figure arriving in humble attire offers comfort, suggesting light and song can appear in unexpected, modest forms. **In simple terms:** Hopeful dawn figure appears. Key Takeaway Seek comfort in simple, unexpected moments. Themes hope beauty humility Mood hopeful gentle Type poetic inspirational When to use this quote - grief counseling - creative writing - mindfulness practice Key Concepts imagery metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How can you find beauty in everyday encounters? - What does “fragile cotton” symbolize for you? A Different Perspective Idealized visions may clash with harsh reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Barefoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barefoot/) [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Birdsong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birdsong/) [Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dawn/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) ## Related quotes > [“Carpe diem they say, Seize the day, Because before long, Tomorrow will dawn, And you will be gone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-thalassa/carpe-diem-they-say-seize-the-day-because-before-long-tomorrow-will/) [Laura Thalassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-thalassa/) > [“Death is not the extinguishing of the light, but the blowing out of the candle, because dawn has come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-ellis/death-is-not-the-extinguishing-of-the-light-but-the-blowing-out-of/) [Joy Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-ellis/) > [You have to have the darkness for the dawn to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-ford/you-have-to-have-the-darkness-for-the-dawn-to-come/) [Harrison Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-ford/) > [You have to have darkness for the dawn to come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karim-seddiki/you-have-to-have-darkness-for-the-dawn-to-come/) [Karim Seddiki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karim-seddiki/) > [Perhaps that dawn will come from this horizon, from the East where the sun rises. A day will come when unvanquished Man will retrace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/perhaps-that-dawn-will-come-from-this-horizon-from-the-east-where-the/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Our eternal message of hope is that dawn will come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/our-eternal-message-of-hope-is-that-dawn-will-come/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Death for the Christian is a turning off the light because the dawn has come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-jaworski/death-for-the-christian-is-a-turning-off-the-light-because-the-dawn/) [Leon Jaworski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-jaworski/) > [Perhaps the new dawn will come from this horizon, from the East where the sun rises; and then, unvanquished Man will retrace his path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/perhaps-the-new-dawn-will-come-from-this-horizon-from-the-east-where/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Not knowing when the dawn will come I open every door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/not-knowing-when-the-dawn-will-come-i-open-every-door/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/death-is-not-extinguishing-the-light-it-is-only-putting-out-the-lamp/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [For it is the dawn that has come, as it has come for a thousand centuries, never failing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/for-it-is-the-dawn-that-has-come-as-it-has-come-for-a-thousand/) [Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/) > [People who record birdsong generally do it very early-before six o'clock-if they can. Soon after that, the invasion of distant noise in most woodland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-adams/people-who-record-birdsong-generally-do-it-very-early-before-six-o/) [Richard Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-adams/) > [You can listen to a birdsong, and from the content of the birdsong, you will be able to determine whether or not the bird…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/you-can-listen-to-a-birdsong-and-from-the-content-of-the-birdsong-you/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [People find birdsong relaxing and reassuring because over thousands of years, they have learnt when the birds sing, they are safe; it's when birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/people-find-birdsong-relaxing-and-reassuring-because-over-thousands/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [“Because the birdsong might be pretty, But it's not for you they sing, And if you think my winter is too cold, You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-hanson/because-the-birdsong-might-be-pretty-but-it-s-not-for-you-they-sing/) [Erin Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-hanson/) ## More by Billy Collins > [“The whole idea of it makes me feel Like I’m coming down with something, Something worse than any stomach ache Or the headaches I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/the-whole-idea-of-it-makes-me-feel-like-i-m-coming-down-with/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [I think clarity is the real risk in poetry because you are exposed. You're out in the open field. You're actually saying things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-think-clarity-is-the-real-risk-in-poetry-because-you-are-exposed/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [...pleasure, of course, is a slippery word… Our pleasures ultimately belong to us, not to the pleasure's so](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/pleasure-of-course-is-a-slippery-word-our-pleasures-ultimately-belong/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [I stared up at the ebbing quarter moon and the stars scattered like a handful of salt across the faraway sky...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-stared-up-at-the-ebbing-quarter-moon-and-the-stars-scattered-like-a/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [Death is what makes life fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/death-is-what-makes-life-fun/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [A trouble with poetry is the presence of presumptuousness in poetry, the sense you get in a poem that the poet takes for granted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/a-trouble-with-poetry-is-the-presence-of-presumptuousness-in-poetry/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [You come by your style by learning what to leave out. At first you tend to overwrite—embellishment instead of insight. You either continue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/you-come-by-your-style-by-learning-what-to-leave-out-at-first-you/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [But my heart is always propped up in a field on its tripod, ready for the next arrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/but-my-heart-is-always-propped-up-in-a-field-on-its-tripod-ready-for/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [I can hear the library humming in the night, a choir of authors murmuring inside their books along the unlit, alphabetical shelves, Giovanni Pontano…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-can-hear-the-library-humming-in-the-night-a-choir-of-authors/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [Every Day Is for the Thief is a vivid, episodic evocation of the truism that you can't go home again; but that doesn't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/every-day-is-for-the-thief-is-a-vivid-episodic-evocation-of-the/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [Humor, for me, is really a gate of departure. Its a way of enticing a reader into a poem so that less funny things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/humor-for-me-is-really-a-gate-of-departure-its-a-way-of-enticing-a/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [You know how sometimes you just have a memory of looking up and seeing a face looking over your crib and then remember nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/you-know-how-sometimes-you-just-have-a-memory-of-looking-up-and/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [Usually the poems are written in one sitting. There's always a groping towards some satisfying ending. But I'd say the hardest part is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/usually-the-poems-are-written-in-one-sitting-there-s-always-a-groping/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [I was influenced by the Beats because I actually just began to commit adolescence around 1955, when "Howl" and Rebel Without a Cause and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-was-influenced-by-the-beats-because-i-actually-just-began-to-commit/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [Some difficulty is warranted and other difficulty I think is gratuitous. And I think I can tell the difference. There are certainly very difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/some-difficulty-is-warranted-and-other-difficulty-i-think-is/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) [Explore all 141 Billy Collins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) ## More Arms quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) Brian Reade > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Are we fighting?" I asked Morelli. "No. Were discussing." "Are you sure?" "Am I yelling?" Morelli asked. "Is my face purple? Are the cords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/are-we-fighting-i-asked-morelli-no-were-discussing-are-you-sure-am-i/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [A home isn't just a roof over our heads. A home is a place where we feel loved and where we love others. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-home-isn-t-just-a-roof-over-our-heads-a-home-is-a-place-where-we/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Comerado, this is no book,Who touches this, touches a man,(Is it night? Are we here alone?)It is I you hold, and who holds you,I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/comerado-this-is-no-book-who-touches-this-touches-a-man-is-it-night/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [Even the stove and the refrigerator looked human, I mean good human - they seemed to have arms and voices and they said, hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/even-the-stove-and-the-refrigerator-looked-human-i-mean-good-human/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. I think I used four boxes of Soilex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/i-separated-the-joints-the-arm-joints-the-leg-joints-and-had-to-do/) [Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/) > [More courage is required to forgive than is required to take up arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ramos-horta/more-courage-is-required-to-forgive-than-is-required-to-take-up-arms/) [Jose Ramos-Horta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ramos-horta/) > [It's been a long time since I asked anything of heaven, and my arms still haven't come down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-porchia/it-s-been-a-long-time-since-i-asked-anything-of-heaven-and-my-arms/) [Antonio Porchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-porchia/) > [With those who are willing to join, let us cooperate to reduce the burden of arms, to strengthen the structure of peace, to lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/with-those-who-are-willing-to-join-let-us-cooperate-to-reduce-the/) [Richard M. 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"I'm beginning to look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/another-step-had-her-backed-up-against-the-wall-and-he-braced-his/) [Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/) Browse all 4,470 Arms quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But tomorrow, dawn will come the way I picture her, barefoot and disheveled, standing outside my window in one of the fragile cotton dresses of the poor. 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