The Road Perhaps Taken
Kestrel F.
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This poem is based on the "american classic", "The Road Less Taken" by Robert Frost. During a literature class, I studied this poem intensively, and reached the conclusion that the standard interpretation of the poem--as celebrating die-hard individuality--is in fact false. I think the poem is an exploration of the fickleness of the human mind, of our fear of missing out, of making a wrong decision in situations where any decision only becomes wrong because of our regret around making it. Inspired by this, I wanted to explore this topic further, examining the idea that taking a "road less taken" is perhaps an oversimplification, an assumption that merely because others have trodden one path more than the other, that you have experienced what you will experience on it as well. Sticking to the meter and emphasis of the original poem as closely as I could, I wanted to tentatively extend a celebration of personal exploration, of the fact that what path is wrong or right depends more on what you learn from it than some innate quality that comes with being less trodden.
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In a world where advertisements, screens, social media and many other conveniences distract our lives with energy-draining pursuits, for me, creation is an antidote--a way of generating energy, ideas, and a desire to continue to live.
