Sorry I'm late with this, but the thought is still relevant.

I did not know until just a few years ago that his full name was - ALFRED JOYCE KILMER -

If you GOOGLE the name, there is a wealth of information, and many pictures available.

As I child, i always thought that a woman had written this all-time CLASSIC poem.

TREES

By Joyce Kilmer
(1886 - 1918)


I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet 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.


FROM:

http://www.risingdove.com/kilmer/Trees.asp


“Joyce Kilmer is best known for his poem "Trees." Legends have grown up all over the country around certain trees that are reputed to be the tree that inspired the poem; people often write to me asking for verification of their local version. According to my Dad, Joyce Kilmer's eldest son, Joyce was writing about trees in general, not about any particular tree.

Joyce was living in Mahwah, New Jersey, at the time he wrote the poem (February 2, 1913). "It was in an upstairs bedroom... which served as Mother's and Dad's bedroom and also as Dad's office....

The window looked out down a hill, on our well-wooded lawn - trees of many kinds, from mature trees to thin saplings: oaks, maples, black and white birches, and I don't know what else." -

“Memories of my Father, Joyce Kilmer; Kenton Kilmer, 1993. I don't actively discourage the legends because they encourage environmental passion, but I also value accuracy, so I've provided the facts as I know them for those who seek.”



Copied and pasted in Honor of ARBOR DAY - April 24, 2009 -

By Tom Hyland …