Friday Favorites: Robert Frost's Poems, reviewed

This week's book is a collection of work by one of my favorite poet's. I have several poets I love, which I plan to highlight in the future, Robert Frost is one of them.

I was first exposed to Robert Frost as a little girl. My mother enjoyed reciting poems she had memorized and reading to us from an old book of verse. Frost was one of her favorites as well. The first of his poems I recall hearing was his famous "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." I remember listening to the words roll off of my mother's tongue. As she spoke I could see the little horse stomp his foot on the crusty snow, I heard the bells of his harness as he shook his head,. I was hooked. Poetry painted the world and taught me how to see through different eyes. I think my love of writing ignited as I heard brilliant men and women shape words to create a moment of beauty.

Frost was a master of the art. He wrote during the early 20th century, often depicting idyllic country life in New England. He was honored for his work by receiving four Pulitzer Prizes among other awards.

My favorite Frost poems include Birches, Mending Wall, Tree at my Window, The Exposed Nest, My Butterfly and The Road Not Taken. If you are unfamiliar with his works I suggest you start with one of those. I had wanted to share Birches with you, which is my very favorite, but it's long and I couldn't bear breaking it up to include only a section. You will just have to read it yourself! Instead I'm going to share Blue-Butterfly Day it's one of his beautiful, shorter poems.

Blue-Butterfly Day

It is blue-butterfly day here in spring,
And with these sky-flakes down in flurry on flurry
There is more unmixed color on the wing
Than flowers will show for days unless they hurry.

But these are flowers that fly and all but sing:
And now from having ridden out desire
They lie closed over in the wind and cling
Where wheels have freshly sliced the April mire.

 

Beauty is so important in our lives. How do you incorporate it into yours?