"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"

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.

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.

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.

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.

- Robert Frost

         The prose meaning is that the guy stops at these woods to watch the snow, but then continues on his journey because he has "promises to keep".
         He is torn between the beauty of nature and these promises that he must keep. The soft connotations of words like "some mistake", "easy wind", and "downy flake" contribute to the idea that he really does enjoy the woods. Yet, the connotation of "promises" shows that it is less of an obligation and more so something or someone he truely cares about and that it is something he wants to do. The problem arises when he is stuck between choosing between the two. He chooses the "promises" that he must keep. It doesn't mean that he doesn't enjoy the beauty of nature, but there is a time to enjoy it and you don't have to spend your whole life on it. The fact that he does stop and goes out of his way into the woods to enjoy it says a lot actually. It shows that he doesn't just ignore it, but he does realize the beauty of it.
         When we discussed in class which poem we were more like, I chose this one for obvious reasons. There is a time in your life when you don't have to think about responsiblities and other people, yet most of the time you have to. You can't ignore them. Also, it's important not to become caught up in the busyness of it all but sometimes you have to take a breather.
         I loved this poem. I liked the structure and simple concrete images and clear sentences. To me, I completely related to it. I am a very task oriented person and when I have things to do or commitments, then that comes first to me. But there is always time to "watch [the] woods fill up with snow" when you don't have other things to do. Especially right now, senior year, college applications, and basketball, it seems like a lot. Yet, i never forget the nature and the fun I can find in life.