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Joyce Kilmer
1886 - 1918

Kilmer, (Alfred) Joyce born Dec. 6, 1886, New Brunswick, N.J., U.S. died July 30, 1918, near Seringes, Fr. American poet known chiefly for his 12-line verse entitled "Trees." He was educated at Rutgers and Columbia universities. His first volume of verse, Summer of Love (1911), showed the influence of William Butler Yeats and the Irish poets. After his conversion to Catholicism, Kilmer attempted to model his poetry upon that of Coventry Patmore and the 17th-century Metaphysical poets. His most famous poem, "Trees," appeared in Poetry magazine in 1913. Its immediate and continued popularity has been attributed to its combination of sentiment and simple philosophy. His books include Trees and Other Poems (1914); The Circus and Other Essays (1916); Main Street and Other Poems (1917); and Literature in the Making (1917), a series of interviews with writers. Kilmer joined the staff of The New York Times in 1913. In 1917 he edited Dreams and Images, an anthology of modern Catholic poetry. Kilmer was killed in action during World War I and was posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre.

Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks to 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.

© 2001Elena and Yacov Feldman