“Whose woods these are I think I know
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.”

This week’s blizzard had me thinking of one of my favorite poems, Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”*  When offering the Winter Solstice Forest Therapy Walk for our congregation, I have included contemplating this poem on one of the stops on our walk.  It’s lovely to hear Frost’s words while in the winter woods, woods that are sometimes filled up with snow.

“My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.” 

Supposedly “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” was written by Robert Frost in one night, in one sitting!  This poem just came to him.   

“He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.” 

On the surface, this seems like such a simple poem.  The speaker and their horse have stopped by some woods on a snowy evening.  The person observes this beautiful winter scene in near silence.  The harness bells of the horse and the sweep of easy wind and downy flake are some of the only sounds to be heard.  Perhaps they desire to stay longer, but alas there are obligations to be met and more distance to be covered on the journey.

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.” 

There are several interpretations of this poem.  Though I appreciate the push/pull of promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep—yet the woods are lovely, dark, and deep!  Just some thoughts this week as we contend with this particularly snowy winter.

Love,
Pastor Lauren

*Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42891/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening

Photo by Juho Luomala on Unsplash

Thursday Thoughts 2/26/26