Originally published at crisis magazine
When the world gets quarrelsome, many turn to prayer—which is fortunate; but not many turn to poetry—which is unfortunate. Prayer and poetry are mysteriously similar, though: words seeking wisdom, spiritual interaction, and renewal; both springing from man’s desire to live forever. There is an old proverb that says a man who doesn’t love poetry when he is young will not know how to pray when he is old.
There is a clarity that poetry can bring to the quarrels of the political sphere that can be conducive to peace—or, at least, peace of mind. Robert Frost, born on March 26, 1874, is among the preeminent American poets. Though he was born 151 years ago, certain of his poems have a prophetic ring regarding America’s position today on the world stage and the quarrels that constantly threaten peace.
Before tempers flared in the now-infamous Oval Office argument between embattled Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump, Trump said, “I am allied with the world.” And, given his track record, Trump does want peace. But the world always fights back against the alliances that strive for peace. Whether liberal or conservative, whether Republican or Democrat, whether democratic or socialist, there is
