The poetry of Robert Frost is a perfect accompaniment to October photos in my small town. These images and scenes are much the same as what Robert Frost would have seen. Surely he was inspired to write poetry in order to paint a picture, with words, of the beauty he saw.
October
by Robert FrostOh hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
To-morrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
To-morrow they may form and go.
Oh hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow,
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know;
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away;
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost-
For the grapes’ sake along the wall.
Reading poetry aloud to children is important. I watched our son read poetry to his firstborn, long before she could walk. He read to her “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost, and “O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman. The results speak for themselves in academic success and humanity.
Jennie
A Teacher's Reflections 
One of my favourite poets. A great poem and great photos.
Thank you, Opher.
What a lovely post,both words and pictures
Thank you, Beth!
The poem goes so well with the pictures. It is amazing how children connect with poetry. Bravo to your son, what a good start in life for your granddaughter.
Thank you so much, Darlene!
Thanks for sharing such beautiful words and photos, Jennie.
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Dan. Many thanks.
October is my favorite month…Fall my favorite season. I found this quote that relates to your idea of joining October to a place…
“An October sort of city even in Spring.” Nelson Algren is his prose poem, Chicago-a city on the make.
I was born in Evanston, raised in Chicago and loved/love Carl Sandburg (a ‘local’ poet who I associate with your New England’s Robert Frost) and even in the midst of industrialization, and hard core neighborhoods, Chicago is its best during the Fall IMHO.
Of course, I am part Coloradoan, too – but that’s a comment for another time.
Love this post, poem and you my friend!
Hi Laura! Thanks so much for your lovely comment, and for sharing your love of fall, Chicago, and Sandburg’s poetry. I’m glad you enjoyed this, my friend!!
ps-I forgot to mention, I’m an October baby so I’m highly biased! HA!
😍
beautiful visualization of the poem. Frost is one of my favorite poets.
Thank you, Lori. I feel the same way about Frost.
Lovely words and photos, Jennie. We seem to have gone straight to winter here, but walking Ollie today, I heard this. ‘The crows above the forest call’.
Best wishes, Pete.
Interestingly, we have had more crows this year, and that line struck me as well. Thank you, Pete. I often think of Frost when there is a glorious day. Autumn is very pretty in New England. Best to you.
Absolutely beautiful, Jennie! 💜
Thank you so much, Ritu! 💕
A beautiful poem and lovely photos, Jennie. I was quite surprised to see the tree in the picture below the words “At noon release another leaf;” had lost half it’s leaves so soon. (or was this a photo from another time.)
Thank you, John. The photos were all taken over two consecutive days last week in my town. Yes, isn’t it interesting that the tree has lost most of its leaves, and another tree was half green? Trees remind me of children in so many ways. They grow and change in different ways. Isn’t that a wonderful thing?
It is.
🥰
Beautifully paired post, Jennie, with the lovely photos and poems. You’re so right about reading poetry to children. My mother was good at that, and teachers reading nursery rhymes and other poems in elementary school instilled a love of poetry in me. I remember even in high school, learning about more serious poems in English class. At the time I thought it was a bit of a chore, but looking back, I have appreciated so many good poems for all these years, mostly thanks to my wonderful English teacher. So keep up the good work in your classes!
Thank you, Anneli! Yes, poetry is a a wonderful thing. Your elementary and high school poetry memories must be a treasure. I never had that experience. Yet, I discovered poetry as a teacher. Thank you, Shel Silverstein. Poetry grew from there. It’s never too late to late to discover and read aloud great words!
That’s right. Never too late.
🙂
Frost’s poem expresses so well that human impulse we have to say please, please, let us stay here just a little longer.
Well said, Liz. Poetry captures the human spirit in all of us, and Frost delicately pulls us in – to what we all want. When he says “slow, slow!” in the poem after describing what he saw, that was a most powerful message in the poem. Yes, please let us stay here a little longer. Thank you, Robert Frost.
Yes, thank you, Robert Frost. You knew us well. 🙂
Yes, you knew us well, Robert Frost. I think that’s why I love your poetry. Thank you, Liz.
You’re welcome, Jennie.
Poetry is a must-read aloud with the kids! The benefits are limitless! Great selection here, Jennie.
You are so right, Bette. Poetry is a must-read with children. More importantly, talking about the poetry with children is a must.
You’re so right–TALKING with them about everything we read is essential! It’s always a win-win that just keeps us all growing. I love to use poetry discussions as a lead-in to writing (the writer’s toolbox) can be found in every poem. The fun and learning is contagious! ❤ xo
Yes, yes, YES! ❤️
Beautiful New England leaves and a beautiful New England poem. Babies love poetry. I don’t know what it is, but it feels magical. Great post, Jennie. ❤
Thank you, Diana. I feel the same way! 🥰
Jennie, thank you for the beautiful poem and photographs.
You are welcome, Charles! I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Thank you once again for your ability to tie in the present with the past. You certainly live in a beautiful spot, Jennie. What an exquisite slice of small-town Americana!
Thanks so much, Pete. Fall is gorgeous here. I feel lucky to be here… except in February when it feels like winter will never go away. 😉
Beautiful, Jennie. I played a lot of golf at Wachusett CC (during the public hours) and the views there and closer to Mt. Wachusett were always spectacular.
Yes, the views there are spectacular at Mt. Wachusett! Does NY have the same brilliant colors? I would think so.
Dear Jennie, thank you. I enjoyed this so very much. Before I relocated, I had an illustrated book of Frost’s poems, that was a lot like this post. (Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take much across the country with me.) What a lovely breath of fresh, crisp autumn air this is. Sharing.
Hugs on the wing!
I’m so glad this brought you a smile and a memory, Teagan. If this reminded you of the illustrated book of Frost’s poems…well, that’s as good as it gets. Thank you!
Just beautiful, Jennie I miss Autumn we only have two seasons here… Wet and dry… No beautiful Autumn colours so thank you for sharing both Frost and those amazing images.. ❤️… The last two of Lilys books arrived yesterday (34)days…can’t wait until she comes again so we can read them xx
I’m glad you enjoyed the colors and poetry, Carol. Wet and dry must be tough! Hooray the books arrived, albeit 34 days. 😍
I know the books always take that long the red barn not so long but as a rule 30 days is the average ❤️
☹️
I have written before about how much more deeply I understood Frost after I moved to New England. I loved the way you paired the poem with the images. My favorite line is actually from Dickinson who refers to the “certain slant of light” that does appear in October.
It wasn’t until I moved to New England and then visited Frost’s stone house, that I fully understood his poetry. I know exactly what Emily Dickinson meant. I took some photos of trees yesterday that have that slant of light. I need a poem or story to match. Dickinson might be the one. I’m glad you enjoyed this, Elizabeth. Thank you.
The poem is probably gloomier than the images! She and I differ on our responses to the slant of light.
Ah! Thank you, Elizabeth. Whether a gloomy poem or not, the phrase is brilliant. I would see the ‘slant of light’ as something only autumn trees could produce.
Lovely post❤️👏🏼
Thank you!
The poem meets the images of the landscape in a perfect manner, and it a wonderful landscape too. Michael
Thank you, Michael. It is beautiful this time of year.
Gorgeous, Jennie.
Thank you, Norah.
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ThNk you!
What magnificent color this year!
Yes, indeed!
In my grade school days, we learned and recited poetry by Robert Frost and others. When my children went to school, there was no such thing in school any more. Thank you for sharing such beauty and wonders with your children. Hugz
It’s a sad thing when classic poetry isn’t part of school. Thanks for your kind words, Ren.