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by Bucky Lewis Robert Frost: An essentially pastoral poet often associated with rural New England. One of his first poems: NORTH OF BOSTON Something there is that doesn't love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, And spills the upper boulders in the sun; And makes gaps even two can pass abreast. The work of hunters is another thing: I have come after them and made repair Where they have left not one stone on stone, But they would have the rabbit out of hiding, To please the yelping dogs. . . . ROBERT FROST Oh that Robert could not be alive to see his prediction come true. "And spills the upper boulders in the sun" When he lived in Franconia NH, I think that the Old Man inspired this poem, which really launched his career. You know the one --- of the Mountains that we lost this year. The cool thing about Robert Frost is, even though he was born in San Francisco and had to go to Europe to be recognized, he ALWAYS ended up in NH. NH vs. VT The rivalry of the two states, which are geographically opposite -, has been well known since I was a kid growing up in Laconia. For some reason, the rivalry was fueled by the hot-stove dispute over where Robert Frost really hung his hat, whether it was NH or VT. Mike Barnicle, the fired columnist from the Boston Globe for plagiarism, wrote a column once about the differences of both states. Unfortunately his writings were more subjective than researched. Writing really is a form of entertainment. I guess that's why he was compelled in the Boston Globe article to say things like "In Vermont, if you get sick they take you to a hospital. In New Hampshire, if you become ill, old or infirm they use you for fertilizer or target practice". Not only did you get FIRED Mike, but there are no signs here like in VT that say 'Take back New Hampshire' I guess the point is this: As a writer you have to do research, have balance. All this while capturing imaginations. Robert Frost, simply was a New Hampshire boy. If anyone wants to refute that, try. He was with T.S. Elliot, W. B. Yeates, and even bailed Ezra Pound out of a mental hospital. Even though he didn't like him. But respected him and learned from him. Like the Old Man of the Mountains, you can cut your nose off to spite your face, but the cool thing about this state is that the recalibrations of folks are flowing like the waterfalls in Crawford Notch. |