The importance of Poetry

Robert Frost's Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

I read a passionate article I really enjoyed in the summer issue of the AFT's 'American Educator' magazine. The article advocated the importance of having students memorize poetry for, well, poetry's sake. Without writing too much about the article, here is the link to the original source and an excerpt from it.

'Why I Force My Students to Memorize Poetry- Andy Waddell
http://www.aft.org/pdfs/americaneducator/summer2011/Waddell.pdf

AFT Website

Excerpt from the article:
"But some nod must be given to a larger idea: that we live through our consciousness, that a thought is composed of words, that as English teachers we have a unique opportunity and responsibility to put words into our students' heads-crisp, delicious words, " words opalescent, cool and pearly," words to entertain and sustain them. Words they may never forget."

And yes, I'm posting about a poem set in the dead of winter by Frost, in the middle of a 100 degree heat wave :) :)