The shortness of Robert Frost's poem "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost belies its deep, hidden message. Neither its form nor its simple rhyming scheme prepare the reader for the philosophical thoughts it evokes.

        In the last two lines, a thought haults and then carries on into the next line, creating a physical break in the poem.  Frost could have fit the last two lines in one, but he didn't, surely for a good reason.  As this poem is about the end of the time, perhaps he's trying to squeeze as much as he can out of the world (his poem) before his time's up.  Like asking God for one more day on Earth, there's one more line to the poem.  Most poems aren't nine lines long, they're usually 8, or 12, or 16.

        Frost associates destruction by ice with a very human emotion - hate.  Ice is cold, emotionless, occurs naturally and without human intervention.  He also refers to a very hot human emotion when he says "From what I've tasted of desire ..."  Here, he associates desire with destruction by fire, which also occurs naturally and without human intervention.  The general feel of the poem is devoid of emotion.  The emotions of desire and hatred are found in humans; fire and ice are found in nature.  Frost seems to be musing whether the world's end would be brought about by humans or by nature.

         In this poem, Frost has grouped together the most important opposites of the world in an interesting analogy.  Desire evokes an emotional heat while hatred causes the heart to freeze.  Desire and hatred are extreme emotions just as fire and ice are extremes of nature. One can assume through this poem that Frost has seen in his own life the destruction that both desire and hatred can bring about.  This analogy could be an indication that Frost believes both extremes are destructive.

        At first glance, the reader gets a sense of indifference from Frost's ideas regarding the world's end.  At the end of the poem, however, the reader is drawn back by a hint of hidden emotion and a subtle warning for mankind.