Trees

Willa Cather once wrote that "a creative writer can do his best only with what lies within the range and character of his deepest sympathies." Kilmer, a prolific poet whose works celebrated the common beauty of the natural world, demonstrates every ecologist "deepest sympathies" in his short poem titled "Trees" (1913), which was published in the collection Trees and Other Poems in 1914.

By Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

I think that 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 people like me,
But only God can make a tree.

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. My message is that:

A healthy environment is vital to us all. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and medicines that cure many illnesses all come from nature. Smart investments in protecting our land and water are a cost-effective way to help keep us all healthy and reduce our health care costs over the long term.

What will your friends and neighbors remember about you? If it were trees, or wetlands of flowways or surfacewater management, would that be all bad?

What will your legacy be for all of the future tomorrows?