The Road Not Taken

"The Road Not Taken" used to be one of my most favorite poems. I fancy myself as a rebel in society in that I’m fine doing my own thing, and this poem seemed to echo my strong stance on carving out and following your own path. My eighth grade class even recited this at our graduation ceremony almost as a pledge to the world.

But recently while browsing online I discovered that Frost really meant to comment on the annoyance of those who place too much meaning on arbitrary decisions! Frost would often go on walks with his friend Edward Thomas who would take a bit of time deciding which walking path to take. This was also brought up in the Netflix Original Series “Orange is the New Black.”

My reaction? 

This has sort of always been my mantra! Now I don’t know whether I should remove this from my Facebook Profile’s “About Me” section or not….decisions, decisions...:P

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.