A Poem Lovely as a Tree
“I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth’s flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.”
- Joyce Kilmer, 1886-1918, Trees
Trees, and an enviornment favorable to the growth of trees,
make more trees.
Men pick the fruit or eat the seeds of these trees.
Men cut down these trees for lumber and firewood.
Men even create new varieties of trees.
Men then insist on pretending that something fashioned in their
fertile imaginations into their own image and likeness, a God, actually
makes trees. What a fruitless fantasy!
Joyce Kilmer’s poem is still a delightful rhyme for us tender minded
gardeners and lovers of the Green Way. Who can ever resist:
“A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair.”
casey kochmer said,
March 30, 2006 @ 6:31 pm
I have always liked this poem also.
So you must be in full gear getting your gardens ready now
vonnie davis said,
August 20, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
My Sister’s husbands mother loved this poem. She remebered learning it in school. She just passed away…….i love this poem too!