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.
Sergeant Joyce Kilmer served in the 165th Regiment of the 45th Division
He was killed in action in the Second Battle of the Marne on July 30th,1918.
He was awarded a Posthumous Croix de Guerre and interred in France.