‘Provide, Provide’ by Robert Frost is a powerful depiction of the inevitability of death. Frost spends time talking about the ways one can face the fact that they aren’t going to live forever.
In this poem, Frost speaks on life, death, and the various ways one can approach the indisputable facts of mortality. It is an intricately layered work that delves into the difficulties of finding one’s path through life and the correct companions to keep one company. Using an ironic and sometimes mocking tone, Frost confronts themes of life, friendship, death, and one’s legacy.
The witch that came (the withered hag)
To wash the steps with pail and rag,
Was once the beauty Abishag,