Though it is told in the present tense, "The Constellation Orion" functions as a humorous anecdote. Anecdotes are short stories, often conversational, told about a particular event. The use of dialogue in this poem also underscores that conversational quality, and its use of non-literary language. This anecdote also includes puns, in the form of the father's calling his son's head "a small sun" and the son's mispronunciation of the "constellation Orion." Puns work when words have identical or similar sounds, but are very different in meaning. The effect of Kooser's puns is to render the child "cute" for readers, and to highlight the intimacy among the father, son, and constellation.

The poem employs figurative language throughout. He uses personification and metaphor to describe the constellation's appearance, saying that he sees Orion "lying there in your hammock." In addressing the constellation directly, Kooser employs apostrophe. Apostrophe is a direct...