Autumn Tribute to Frost
“Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost is one of my favorite poems. I first heard of it from the book The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. In the movie version of the story, the main character, Ponyboy, recites the poem in a beautiful moment of tranquility at dawn by a country church. The poignancy and the pathos of the verses haunted me. I, too, committed the poem to memory.
One autumn afternoon as I was walking a wooded path marveling at the gorgeous array of sunset-colored leaves, a variation of Frost’s poem formed in my mind. My version attempts to both mirror Frost’s form, while bringing the seasons and life cycle full circle.
[The pictures here are from my recent trip to Pine Mountain in Kentucky, at Blanton Forest, an old-growth forest preserved by Kentucky Natural Land Trust. Watch this 10-second video before reading the poem.]
“Nature’s Last Gold is Green”
Blanton Forest Preserve, Pine Mountain, Kentucky
Frost’s Original Poem:
Leah D. Schade is the Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary (Kentucky) and author of the book Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit (Chalice Press, 2015).
Twitter: @LeahSchade
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeahDSchade/.
Read more of Leah’s poems:
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