Robert Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963 / San Francisco)

Thisy really doesn't meet my needs.

One of his more obscure works. I see a pattern in Frost's work of commenting on things that happen in the world, usually outdoors, and drawing symbolic meaning from them. So I think he really did gather up the leaves, but got a sense of futility in doing so. 'Next to nothing for use' isn't quite the same as 'Absolutely useless' would be. It's possible he was trying to stop them blowing away by putting them in a shed. They can be used as a mulch, for fertiliser. He was a farmer in early life. As to the symbolic meaning, it's possible this was a sort of make-work activity, to get himself out the house and give him something to do. 'Running away' is significant. He may have felt it symbolised his overall effort in life in some way. The leaves 'elude my embrace'.

wow a very smart man..an enchanting write.. :)

I always thought the leaves eluded to his work- poetry. Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?

Dead leaves make an unusual and original harvest.
The third verse suggests the poet's sense of closeness to the leaves which somehow elude him -they are too insubstantial!
But the last stanza hints at something more positive and tangible -nature's unending harvest, whatever form it takes.