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Trees
by Joyce Kilmer
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. |
Alfred Joyce Kilmer (December 6, 1886 – July 30, 1918)
was an American journalist, poet, literary critic, lecturer, and
editor. Though a prolific poet whose works celebrated the common
beauty of the natural world as well as his religious faith, Kilmer
is remembered most for a short poem entitled "Trees" (1913), which
was published in the collection Trees and Other Poems in 1914. While
most of his works are unknown, a select few of his poems remain
popular and are published frequently in anthologies. Several
critics, both Kilmer's contemporaries and modern scholars,
disparaged Kilmer's work as being too simple, overly sentimental,
and suggested that his style was far too traditional, even archaic.
At the time of his deployment to Europe during the first World War
(1914–1918), Kilmer was considered the leading American Catholic
poet and lecturer of his generation, whom critics often compared to
British contemporaries G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) and Hilaire
Belloc (1870–1953). A sergeant in the 165th U.S. Infantry Regiment,
Kilmer was killed at the Second Battle of the Marne in 1918 at the
age of 31.
Wikipedia |
Our Bradford Pears were like family, but the one on the left
lost half its crown in a wind storm
and the one on the right was fatally diseased. Pears are pretty but not
long-lived.
We contacted the company who previously had done some trim and
repair work on the trees.
They quickly and efficiently de-limbed the trees and chipped the branches
curbside.
Then they cut up the trunks and cleaned up every bit of
debris.
After day one (10/18/10) all we had was the flush trunks where
the trees had been.
The sickly tree had a smaller trunk. I guess it had been sick
for a while.
It's a strange view now without the tree.
That's a Japanese Maple in the landscape close to the front
door.
Day two was 10/20/10. They came back with a big stump grinder
and got the stump and roots of
the pear trees out of the ground. They carefully moved some of Eva's shrubbery
out of the way and
then replanted it properly. The tree of the left is easier to see than the tree
on the right, which has
a Crepe Myrtle in the background confusing the visual. Both trees are Chinese
Pistache which the
Tree Service recommended, and which was confirmed by our research and local
experts.
This job was done by Preservation Tree Services.
They operate in the Dallas - Fort Worth area.
We are extremely pleased with their quality work,
their professionalism and their skills.
(They're cheerful and friendly, they do what they promise, and
they know how to do it right.)
On the web:
www.preservationtree.com
We don't get anything if you click on them,
but you'll find some excellent arborists.
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