Sun Metaphors for Your Late Summer Poetry

As summer winds down, you’re probably soaking in the final warm days of the year. You might even feel inspired to explore this time in your poetry. Since the sun is typically associated with summer, honor the season’s end with these sun metaphors.

Sun shining through trees

Have you ever walked through the woods and witnessed brilliant sunlight shining through trees? Capture this ethereal moment in a poem. 

In your poem, perhaps you’re walking for miles, symbolizing a long, challenging season of life. Then, suddenly, the sun cuts through, bathing the forest in light and warmth. Sun rays bleeding through intricate patterns of overlayed branches can represent glimmers of hope in complicated, dark times. This experience motivates you to keep going, persevering through moments of uncertainty. 

Solar eclipse

A solar eclipse metaphor can symbolize a pivotal turning point or an experience that consumed or “eclipsed” your life. 

With this metaphor, consider exploring a moment that felt all-encompassing, challenging, or sad. This sunless moment might represent losing a loved one, ending a relationship, or experiencing a period of health concerns. Your poem can sit in the moment of the eclipse, or consider how the sun always returns afterwards.

Staring into the sun

Although the sun is typically associated with joy, take a different approach with a metaphor about staring into the sun. 

This metaphor can represent multiple experiences, such as distraction or a hard truth you’re struggling to face. As you write, illustrate these challenges by depicting the brightness and scalding heat of the sun, including how you quickly look away to avoid harm.

Golden hour

Golden hour takes place in the afternoon when the sun is particularly bright. As you write, pull inspiration from this uniquely beautiful time of day. 

In your poem, imagine your life is one day. Recall a joyful moment, period, or relationship that might symbolize your “golden hour.” Consider your surroundings—what objects might golden hour illuminate? This can symbolize how a specific time or person helped you heal hidden parts of yourself.

Sunlight reflecting off water

When sunlight reflects off water, it sparkles, creating the appearance of a glittering pond, lake, or ocean. Employ this metaphor to reflect on a time of your life that you romanticized. As you contemplate a personal experience to explore, consider embracing the season by exploring a fleeting summer romance.

In your poem, write about how, normally, water has a simple, mundane look. These rare, glimmering moments thus might be at the forefront of your mind, making this an interesting metaphor to incorporate in a romanticized story. 

Sunburn

Explore a challenging, emotionally complex experience with a sunburn metaphor. 

Write a poem about something that was once warm and inviting that ended up burning you—a relationship, a specific opportunity, or a season of life, for example. Sunburns can take several days to fade, just like a painful experience takes time to heal.

In your poems, whether you specifically tell summer stories or take a more generalized sun-inspired approach, we hope these metaphors spark your creativity. For even more summer poetry content, check out these fun ideas for a summer-themed book club.