[Roger Slater]

I don't see how you can say "fire" with just one syllable if you are going to pronounce the vowel the same way you'd pronounce the pronoun "I". If you pronounce it more like an "a" so it sounds a lot like "far", I can see, but saying "I" puts my mouth out of position to attach an "r" sound without saying it "err".

But in general, I think you're right to question the idea of avoiding words that have regional differences in pronunciation. On the one hand, you want to avoid having readers stumble over a line because they pronounce things differently. On the other hand, you may want to trust the reader to be aware of alternative pronunciations and use them where necessary to maintain the meter. I generally take the former approach, especially when I'm writing children's verse.

[Max Goodman]

Originally Posted by Marshall Begel

Are there other ways to look at this?

To my ear, "fire" is a syllable-and-a-smidge. To scan it as two syllables feels like more of a fudge than to scan it as one--also a fudge. In a poem (like this) in which metrical precision isn't crucial, I wouldn't be bothered either way.

[Susan McLean]

Jim, to fire someone, you have to have a reason beyond just wanting to hire someone cheaper. Layoffs can usually be justified on economic grounds and don't require wrongdoing on the part of the employee. I have known good employers, too, but they seem to be becoming rarer under the reign of the MBAs.

Max, I think poetry is a larger tent than Frost gives it credit for being. There is some grief in this poem, but it is suggested, not stated. Swift's "saeva indignatio" [fierce indignation] has a place in poetry, too, though one wouldn't welcome that note all the time. I agree that it is harder to make the poem "poetic" when it is a harsh satire.

Marshall, Max, and Roger, my dictionaries (which are old) give "fire" one syllable, but the pronunciation really does vary by region. I try to look at the word in the context of the line to figure out how disruptive it will be to treat it as one syllable. However, I also write in loose iambics at times, and that allows a bit of leeway.

Susan