Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
by Robert Frost
As a gay man coming out later in life, this poem is particularly poignant.
I have often wondered why it is entitled, "The Road Not Taken" when the verse itself is about the road the poet actually took.... What is Frost trying to teach us?
I think I understand and I thank God that unlike Robert Frost, I was able to return to the nexus where I originally chose my course .
And because I had courage to retrace my steps and start my journey a second time, it has in fact made all the difference.
I love Frost and this is one of my favorites. (Along with Two Tramps in Mud Time)
ReplyDeleteSafe travels!