Robert Frost

This week we look at the poems of Robert Frost. I have not had much exposure to Frost in the past, what little I’ve had I found interesting but not quite my “cup of tea” to be honest. It was nice to dig a little deeper into his work, and find out a little bit more about him and his ideology.
I picked out three poems that stood out to me. Most of his poems, the longer ones, seemed to be more like narrative verses, almost as though they belonged in a passage of short story. Too short for a story, too long for a poem, for my taste, although the descriptive elements were amazing. I preferred “Fire and Ice”, a shorter piece compared to some of his others. In it he talks about the end of the world, and how it might end, and what might bring it about- desire (fire) or hate (ice). He is of the opinion that the world will end in one sin or another, and he puts himself in the “desire” group, saying he has “tasted of” it before. I also liked “Nothing Gold Can Stay” which I take as symbolizing the fleeting nature of new spring, but also maybe youth, or beauty itself, maybe new love as well. “The Road Not Taken” is a familiar poem to many, frequently recited to remind us to heed our inner voice, be independent and make the right choices. Personally, I’ve never really known if he made the right choice, or if he regretted his choice; to me it’s a bit ambiguous. He says he took the road less traveled, but how did he know? In the middle two sections he said they were worn about the same, and were equally covered in leaves. Either way, it’s a lovely poem, and it does make you think.