Dear Reader: The sentence for Frost vandals? His poetry.

File this under: More news that makes you want to rip your hair out.

Apparently, days after Christmas a former Middlebury College employee decided to hold a party at Robert Frost’s summer home – the Homer Noble Farm, which is also a historic landmark.

The party thrower was 17 and like many teen parties this one soon grew out of control.

According to the Associated Press:
“When it was over, windows, antique furniture and china had been broken, fire extinguishers discharged, and carpeting soiled with vomit and urine. Empty beer cans and drug paraphernalia were left behind. The damage was put at $10,600.”

In a unusual twist, the teenagers busted – more than two dozen – have been ordered to partake in classes on Frost as part of their punishment.

AP: "I guess I was thinking that if these teens had a better understanding of who Robert Frost was and his contribution to our society, that they would be more respectful of other people's property in the future and would also learn something from the experience," said prosecutor John Quinn.

I think we can all agree that teenagers occasionally exercise poor judgement or don’t clearly think through the consequences of their actions, but this is truly deplorable. One would hope that they would at least respect a landmark like this. I grew up in the North Shore in Mass and I cannot imagine any of my classmates ever suggesting throwing a party at the House of Seven Gables.

I wonder if as well meaning as this punishment is, if the youthful offenders will really learn something.

From the New York Times:
“Finally, through the state police barracks, where Sergeant Hodsden had more than two dozen young people photographed, fingerprinted and cited for unlawful trespass, with a few also cited for unlawful mischief. He cannot shake the indifference of one youth in particular, who asked whether he could use his mug shot on his Facebook page.
In conveying his disgust over this communal breach, the police sergeant employed the Frostian technique of repetition.
“They should have known,” he said. “They should have known." "

Perhaps good fences do indeed make good neighbors.