To silence any song...

A Minor Bird
by Robert Frost

I have wished a bird would fly away,
And not sing by my house all day;

Have clapped my hands at him from the door
When it seemed as if I could bear no more.

The fault must partly have been in me.
The bird was not to blame for his key.

And of course there must be something wrong
In wanting to silence any song.

Nate Notes

As a confession, I generally wince at child performances. I am adoring when they are genuinely talented and well executed but I silently groan when they are lousy. What is more, I am perplexed when all the other adults and parents who clap, praise, and cheer at what could only be described, generously, as a mediocre performance. This was true even with my own children.

Then one day, as I was reading from my volume of Frost, I was deeply moved by this short verse. It caused me think deeply about my less then enthusiastic support for my children's best efforts. While I still don't heap on false praise to a poor performance, I do find something great and genuine to praise, even if it is just the courage to stand up and try. Though this is a short and little know poem of Frost, it has had a profound impact on me and my relationships.

And of course there must be something wrong in wanting to silence any song.