Help me find a poem

November 21, 2007 11:21 AM

I'm looking for a poem, and it's NOT the road not taken.

The poem I'm looking for is very similar to the road not taken, however. But instead of the author having a choice, pondering the two roads, it goes something like this (apologies to everyone including the author for this terrible rendering, but its been over 20 years since I read it)

I came across a fork in the road
and saw that one path was well trod the other not
The lesser road was covered with grass
I took the less traveled path
And as I walked along it, every blade of grass
became a knife

Yes, it's frighteningly similar to Frost's "road not taken" but the punch line is radically different. It's almost like a goth version of the Frost poem, so naturally I looked to see if I could find any Dylan Thomas poem that would match it, but no luck.

Help? I read it in a high school poetry reader that had some Sylvia Plath, and I think it had "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Neely as well. I don't think I'm making this up, does anyone remember the poem? That part about every blade of grass turning into a knife, or blade, or razor is key.

posted by skybolt to writing & language (4 comments total)

Could it possibly be Stephen Crane's The Wayfarer?
posted by nonane at 11:48 AM on November 21, 2007

The Wayfarer, for sure.
posted by danb at 11:50 AM on November 21, 2007

Since it looks like you've got your answer I'll point out that "We Real Cool" is by Gwendolyn Brooks.
posted by ludwig_van at 11:59 AM on November 21, 2007

For posterity:

The wayfarer,
Perceiving the pathway to truth,
Was struck with astonishment.
It was thickly grown with weeds.
"Ha," he said,
"I see that none has passed here
In a long time."
Later he saw that each weed
Was a singular knife.
"Well," he mumbled at last,
"Doubtless there are other roads."
posted by iamkimiam at 12:03 PM on November 21, 2007 [6 favorites]