The Simple Brilliance of The Star-Splitter

I forget sometimes the simple brilliance of Robert Frost.

Forget to read his poetry. Forget to remind myself of the common sense lessons. Forget about his good balance between self and community and nature.

Today I remembered. I found this poem: The Star-Splitter.  I was enticed by Orion being just at the beginning.  I've written more than one poem that starts with Orion - was I following Frost, stealing from him, or is Orion just perfect for poetry?

I don't think I'd read this poem before. I read Frost in school.  He's good in the way mashed potatoes are good. We might move on to more exciting poets, more intriguing and nuanced themes. But everyone loves mashed potatoes and it's not a good idea to abandon them altogether.

As I read, I heard Jack McCarthy's voice, and I saw the seemingly roundabout way of telling a story that I found in francEyE's poetry.  Always amazed at Jack's grounded voice; always amazed that francEyE's seemingly random tidbits in the beginning of the poem ended up tying together in a way that connected beautifully and underlined her subtext. I won't be able to ask them what they thought of Frost; or him what he might think of them. Nonetheless, I can feel Frost's legacy in our poetry community.

The updated Cosmos is on tonight. I am excited for this - I love science shows. This poem about stars and people and community and Orion seems to have found me at just the right time.

I'll try to remember not to forget Robert Frost again, at least, not for a while.