Between the woods and frozen lake
a gulf exists where one might take
a brief respite from travelling onwards
a chance to breathe, a chance to break
Between treacherous, ice-covered, unknown depths
and thick, dark woods of unknown breadth
a moment here to gather wits
and to choose which path might mean my death
No space between my hand and rifle
each heartbeat, nor each imagined, frightful
would-be end that I might meet
with wolves and icy death as rivals
And so I chew, and drink, and eat
and gather strength; dare not to sleep
for I must move, and choose between
living or dying; triumph, defeat
Photo by Riccardo Chiarini on Unsplash
Inspired by (and with credit to) Robert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening | Poetry Foundation
Oh wow! I love this! There are echoes of Kipling and poems of the wilderness – as well as those echoes of Frost himself. What a character and what a journey you’ve created for him! This is less of a journey than a pilgrimage – your attention to detail means that everything is heightened for us as we read – and increases the effect of the poem even more. Beautiful!