I think I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
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
165th Infantry (69th New York)
killed in action 30 July, 1918
Alfred Joyce Kilmer was born on 6 December, 1886 in New Jersey. He came from good stock. His father was a physician and chemist working for Johnson and Johnson Company. He was credited with the invention of Johnson and Johnson Baby Powder. From an early age, Joyce Kilmer proved to have a talent for literature. He dropped his first name , Alfred, as he thought “Joyce Kilmer” would be more elegant in the literary world. He became known as a respectable journalist, editor and poet.
When the United States entered World War I in 1917, Joyce Kilmer quickly enlisted in the New York National Guard. He was a graduate of Columbia University and was offered a commission. He stated, “I would rather be a Sergeant in the 69th than an officer in any other outfit”. He was a 30-year old married man with five children. Certainly part of his motivation was patriotism. He was also motivated to write a book about the war. Before departing for Europe, he had signed a contract with a New England publisher. The title of the book was to be, “Here and There With the Fighting 69th”. Kilmer would never write the book. He was killed by a German sniper while leading a patrol at the Second Battle of the Marne on 30 July, 1918. His body is buried at the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery near the farm where he fell.
In 1936, the U.S. Forest Service honored Joyce Kilmer with the designation of The Joyce Kilmer National Forest. 3800 acres of old-growth trees in North Carolina with some of the trees 20 feet in diameter and 100 feet tall. A fitting tribute to a man who loved trees. Today, Joyce Kilmer’s other works are largely forgotten but his short, simple poem will be read by every kid in every school in the United States and by other kids in more than a dozen foreign languages.
By Paul Warrick: November 14, 2025 – Great Falls, Mt
Author: Staff
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