Robert Frost (1876-1963)
I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain – and back in rain.
I have out walked the furthest city light.
I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.
I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,
But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
One luminary clock against the sky
Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been acquainted with the night.
It’s a bit sad, I know, but it is one of my favorite poems. There’s much debate on what it really means but to me, it is about loneliness, depression and death. At several points in my life, I have read this poem and thought to myself: “Now here’s a guy who truly gets me.” Those days when I felt so alone and so sad, it was this poem that made me feel that I’m not the only one who has ever felt the way I did. Knowing this, I didn’t feel so alone anymore and has helped me cope with whatever feelings I had at the time. He is truly a great artist and whom I consider a friend through his writing.
