Read the Poem:
Out, Out--
By Robert Frost

Or, first you can read Gene's comments about the Poem     We are reminded, here, of our own mortality. We are reminded that one careless second of inattention can turn a routine, productive day into a disaster. We are reminded that LIFE can be like this! Are we being reminded to be careful? Well, not in so many words. As I read the first half of this poem for the first time, I was reminded of all the pleasant hours I have spent pursuing my antique machinery hobby. Reading on, you see the day take a bad turn, and I am reminded of all the close calls I have had in my life: bad cuts, scrapes, smashed thumbs, burns, trips and falls; and how lucky I have been!! I suddenly renew my vigilance to be very, VERY careful!     The last two lines were, at first, disturbing to me. We DO mourn don't we? Of course we do! But not forever! "Time heals all wounds", "Life must go on", etc. (sorry about the cliches here), but that is the message here, done in a rude way that might just shock us.