--- type: "article" title: "Building Realities" summary: "Hey fam,\nI’ve been talking about expanding my newsletter a bit in scope. Several positive reactions later, and here’s some stuff about poetry. My first love. The muse has t always been all that kind to me, with my bad health, brain fog and pain have many times taken poetry away from my lips and pen. However, I can still do this sort of article.\nIt’s likely not arranged in the best way. I’ll need to tackle solid formatting for poetry in the near future. Here’s to the poet that none of us will ever be, Robert Frost.\nShare\nThe Simple, The Profound, and The Fire: Re-Reading Robert Frost\n\n\nRobert Frost was truly the poet of the novice and of the inspired.\nStill, reading only Frost for extended periods can wear on anyone. You get sick of birds, flowers, and trees remarkably fast, despite the beauty with which they are described.\nEven when his imagery felt played out, it was impossible to deny his ability and sheer versatility. A running joke among writers is that a specialized creative writing degree guarantees only one outcome: the memorization of no less than two and no more than three Robert Frost poems.\nSubscribe\nHaving spent formative years devouring Faulkner and Kerouac, and debating whether a single dot of cadence required greater weight, it is easy to cultivate the reflexes of an academic poetry snob.\nFrom that vantage point, Frost often gets dismissed as too simple, a craftsman of neat cadence and polite meter rather than the desperate, screaming truths of human emotion.\nOften ranked among the greatest American poets of the 20th century, Frost remains an enduring puzzle. He was capable of taking something as mundane as two solitary stones in a driveway and transforming them into an arresting meditation on human persistence. He approached the natural world not merely as scenery, but as an exacting mirror for internal friction and moral crossroads.\nComment\nWhen examining his technique through a narrative lens, Frost’s work hinges on three deliberate choices:\n\nDeceptive Simplicity: His language relies on accessible phrasing and unadorned surfaces, carrying profound psychological weight without decorative excess.\n\nVernacular Cadence: He mapped natural speech directly onto traditional meter, allowing high structural discipline to read like casual thought.\n\nGrounded Metaphor: Physical landscapes, stone walls, and diverging trails do not exist as mere decoration; they function as tactical, tangible stand-ins for human decisions. Frost understood that fire and ice serve equally well when it comes to human ruin. His poetry endures precisely because it bridges the accessible and the profound, proving that clarity of craft never has to come at the expense of depth.\n\nSpotlight: Two Essential Miniatures\n“Fire and Ice”\nFirst published in 1920, this compact nine-line poem tackles apocalyptic destruction through an understated, almost casual tone. Frost weighs desire against hatred, aligning blazing passion with fire and cold indifference with ice, ultimately concluding that either emotional extreme holds enough destructive power to end humanity.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“Nothing Gold Can Stay” Published in 1923, this eight-line masterpiece uses the fleeting early bloom of spring as a lens for transience, grief, and the inevitable loss of innocence. The poem moves rapidly from botanical observation to mythic fall, illustrating how peak beauty and perfection are inherently impossible to preserve.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“Nothing Gold Can Stay,” was featured in the SE Hinton novel “The Outsiders,” in 1967. She began the novel at age 15, it was published when she was 18. In 1983, Francis Ford Coppola directed the film adaption, which may have been the most star studded movie of the decade, including C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Diane Lane, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, and Leif Garrett.\n\n\n\nThanks for reading! Building Realities is a collection of essays, fictions, poetry, and art by Jack Lhasa. A veteran of the publishing industry for 30 years. Jack is disabled, and all of this is run on his free time and donations. If you like what you’ve read, subscribe, tell a friend!\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn what is now an extremely famous scene, Ponyboy, looking out over the morning mist, recites the poem. The novel and movie are a part of most US Schools’ required curriculum.\nI hoped you’ve enjoyed a brief look inside the work of Robert Frost. He was so prolific, I could honestly do a series only on his poetry.\n\nUntil next time,\nI’m Jack Lhasa.\nYou are Amazing.\n👊👊Solidarity👊👊\nHTTPS://ko-fi.com/jacklhasa\nCurrently listening to:\nThe Violent Femmes\nPlease Do Not Go\nFrom their debut, self-titled album(1982)" newsletter: "Building Realities with Jack Lhasa" newsletter_handle: "moonshadow" newsletter_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/moonshadow" author: "Jack Lhasa (@moonshadow)" published: "2026-09-21T21:00:25.000Z" canonical_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/moonshadow/a/building-realities" markdown_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/moonshadow/a/building-realities.md" chat_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/moonshadow/a/building-realities/chat" source_url: "https://exoteric1.substack.com/p/building-realities-3de" body_source: "imported" likes: 0 replies: 0 body_words: 755 --- # Building Realities Hey fam, I’ve been talking about expanding my newsletter a bit in scope. Several positive reactions later, and here’s some stuff about poetry. My first love. The muse has t always been all that kind to me, with my bad health, brain fog and pain have many times taken poetry away from my lips and pen. However, I can still do this sort of article. It’s likely not arranged in the best way. I’ll need to tackle solid formatting for poetry in the near future. Here’s to the poet that none of us will ever be, Robert Frost. [Share](https://exoteric1.substack.com/p/building-realities-3de?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share) ### **The Simple, The Profound, and The Fire: Re-Reading Robert Frost** *** Robert Frost was truly the poet of the novice and of the inspired. Still, reading only Frost for extended periods can wear on anyone. You get sick of birds, flowers, and trees remarkably fast, despite the beauty with which they are described. Even when his imagery felt played out, it was impossible to deny his ability and sheer versatility. A running joke among writers is that a specialized creative writing degree guarantees only one outcome: the memorization of no less than two and no more than three Robert Frost poems. [Subscribe](https://exoteric1.substack.com/subscribe?utm_source=email&r=) Having spent formative years devouring Faulkner and Kerouac, and debating whether a single dot of cadence required greater weight, it is easy to cultivate the reflexes of an academic poetry snob. From that vantage point, Frost often gets dismissed as too simple, a craftsman of neat cadence and polite meter rather than the desperate, screaming truths of human emotion. Often ranked among the greatest American poets of the 20th century, Frost remains an enduring puzzle. He was capable of taking something as mundane as two solitary stones in a driveway and transforming them into an arresting meditation on human persistence. He approached the natural world not merely as scenery, but as an exacting mirror for internal friction and moral crossroads. [Comment](https://exoteric1.substack.com/p/building-realities-3de/comments) When examining his technique through a narrative lens, Frost’s work hinges on three deliberate choices: - **Deceptive Simplicity:** His language relies on accessible phrasing and unadorned surfaces, carrying profound psychological weight without decorative excess. - **Vernacular Cadence:** He mapped natural speech directly onto traditional meter, allowing high structural discipline to read like casual thought. - **Grounded Metaphor:** Physical landscapes, stone walls, and diverging trails do not exist as mere decoration; they function as tactical, tangible stand-ins for human decisions. Frost understood that fire and ice serve equally well when it comes to human ruin. His poetry endures precisely because it bridges the accessible and the profound, proving that *clarity of craft never has to come at the expense of depth*. ### **Spotlight: Two Essential Miniatures** #### **“Fire and Ice”** First published in 1920, this compact nine-line poem tackles apocalyptic destruction through an understated, almost casual tone. Frost weighs desire against hatred, aligning blazing passion with fire and cold indifference with ice, ultimately concluding that either emotional extreme holds enough destructive power to end humanity. [![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!25eU!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb3453db-57af-488e-95d3-41fff6d41a20_914x1296.jpeg)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!25eU!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb3453db-57af-488e-95d3-41fff6d41a20_914x1296.jpeg) **“Nothing Gold Can Stay”** Published in 1923, this eight-line masterpiece uses the fleeting early bloom of spring as a lens for transience, grief, and the inevitable loss of innocence. The poem moves rapidly from botanical observation to mythic fall, illustrating how peak beauty and perfection are inherently impossible to preserve. [![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hieW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78dde65b-189c-49ee-95c9-41331b8f8802_823x1237.jpeg)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hieW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78dde65b-189c-49ee-95c9-41331b8f8802_823x1237.jpeg) “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” was featured in the SE Hinton novel “[The Outsiders](),” in 1967. She began the novel at age 15, it was published when she was 18. In 1983, Francis Ford Coppola directed the [film adaption](), which may have been the most star studded movie of the decade, including [C. Thomas Howell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Thomas_Howell?), [Matt Dillon](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Matt_Dillon), [Ralph Macchio](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Ralph_Macchio), [Patrick Swayze](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Patrick_Swayze), [Rob Lowe](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Rob_Lowe), [Diane Lane](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Diane_Lane), [Emilio Estevez](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Emilio_Estevez), [Tom Cruise](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Tom_Cruise), and [Leif Garrett](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Leif_Garrett). Thanks for reading! Building Realities is a collection of essays, fictions, poetry, and art by Jack Lhasa. A veteran of the publishing industry for 30 years. Jack is disabled, and all of this is run on his free time and donations. If you like what you’ve read, subscribe, tell a friend! In what is now an extremely famous scene, Ponyboy, looking out over the morning mist, recites the poem. The novel and movie are a part of most US Schools’ required curriculum. I hoped you’ve enjoyed a brief look inside the work of Robert Frost. He was so prolific, I could honestly do a series only on his poetry. Until next time, I’m Jack Lhasa. You are Amazing. 👊👊Solidarity👊👊 [HTTPS://ko-fi.com/jacklhasa](https://ko-fi.com/jacklhasa) Currently listening to: The Violent Femmes [Please Do Not Go](https://youtu.be/CZd0GJYKwzY?is=3Gu6fSq-IShrDBTV) From their debut, self-titled album(1982) *** ## Discussion No replies yet.