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| Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Gilly Walker |
In this last weekend before school starts back up, I will be spending lots of time planning. I think I'm finally to the point in my career where I won't worry about accounting for every single moment of every day. I have learned to appreciate what Robert Frost describes here:
Unharvested
by Robert Frost
A scent of ripeness from over a wall.
And come to leave the routine road
And look for what had made me stall,
There sure enough was an apple tree
That had eased itself of its summer load,
And of all but its trivial foliage free,
Now breathed as light as a lady's fan.
For there had been an apple fall
As complete as the apple had given man.
The ground was one circle of solid red.
May something go always unharvested!
May much stay out of our stated plan,
Apples or something forgotten and left,
So smelling their sweetness would be no theft.
Catherine has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at Reading to the Core.
Cor! Over and over Robert surprises me. I think I know what to expect and then he messes with my expectations, beautifully:
ReplyDelete"...had eased itself of its summer load,
And of all but its trivial foliage free,
Now breathed as light as a lady's fan."
I too am waist-deep in plans for how to get that first important day right--but like you, have I not earned the right to trust my experience?
You have. All you need to do is embrace it!
DeleteWhat a perfect poem to go with your thoughts of planning! Robert Frost always puts me in a state of melancholy. But a good melancholy. You know what I mean?
ReplyDeleteYes, I think melancholy...or contemplativeness (is that a word?). He ALWAYS slows me down.
Deletei love this. I must always remember that it is a joy that something must always go unharvested. It lies dormant for us. Thank you
ReplyDeleteAnd joy is so important, so vital, so necessary.
DeleteAnd this, too: "And come to leave the routine road". Wonderful to take the permission from this to wait to see what happens. That is what experience helps with. Nice connection.
ReplyDeleteThe road not taken, eh?
DeleteAgreed - the PERFECT poem to share here in the midst of plannings and preparations, for classrooms and fall and life in general. I'll think of you with my next bite of apple, and exhale.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is my overall takeaway from today's PF experience. So much sadness today... yet if we keep looking for those small bits of hope- the sweet scents left behind– those are the things that pull us through.
ReplyDeleteLove the poem. Wishing you many delightful, unharvested moments that inspire and surprise this school year.
ReplyDeleteToday I was feeling nostalgic about my childhood. Fall was in the air here yesterday (it's not staying!) and the first coolness always reminds me of walking through our apple orchard after my school day. This poem was perfect for me!
ReplyDeleteYour lead-in and the Frost's poem are a perfect pairing, Mary Lee. The title leaves so much for us to think about. Enjoy every moment before the start begins.
ReplyDeleteHere's to many happy, unharvested, (even unplanned moments) in this new school year. And time to savor their sweetness! This is a new Frost poem for me. I love meeting new poems by favorite poets through PF connections.
ReplyDeleteThis poem has a way of taking you there. I smell the sweet scent of apples - and see that circle of solid red. How effective.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the unplanned moments, Mary Lee.
Very cool poem - and one of Frost's that I haven't seen. Love the idea that pleasant things left undone give off a sweet fragrance--must learn to view my unfinished to-do list that way. I also took a peek at your classroom in a previous post... wish I were in your class!
ReplyDeleteNothing is ever "unharvested"--not with bees, and bugs, and squirrels sharing the land. I love Frost's shorter poems. He gets to the point quickly, yet the point lingers with the reader. Have a fabulous school year!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of sweet results from the unplanned. :-) Best wishes for an epic year!
ReplyDeleteHappy New School Year, Mary Lee! May unplanned harvests will abound. =)
ReplyDelete