Homeschooling, Day 卌 卌 IIII

So on Thursday night, we did not get to the poetry until after 8pm, so I had to pick a short one for the evening.

I selected “Trees” by Joyce (a boy) Kilmer (text here).

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.

Quick, what movie quotes that poem?

I am sure there are many, but the poem came to mind because I saw a movie poster for Superman II somewhere in my blog travels this week.

The first line appears in Superman II, and the last line appears in Groundhog Day. The line preceding this clip has Rita saying she’s not tired, and Phil says, “The last thing you heard was ‘only God can make a tree.'”

To be honest, I am not sure I read the poem before, and so this was the first time I learned what poem the line in Groundhog Day was from. And in my researching this post, I learned more about Joyce Kilmer who was a known poet in his time, but he died in World War I at the age of 31. He was knocked a bit for writing archaically, so I suspect we would have gotten on.