I think that I shall never see
A poem as 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.
-Joyce Kilmer-
As a child growing up I never realized how well read my mother was and how she loved poetry.
The above poem by Joyce Kilmer was one that she quoted often to us and became one of my favorites.
Doug and I spent a wonderful afternoon hiking the Indian Trail in Ogden Canyon today. The leaves were beautiful and the sun shining on the trees made for a glorious sight and I kept thinking to myself "only God can make a tree."
We had the trail to ourselves and it felt as if we were hundreds of miles from civilization, rather than 10 miles from home and only a mile or so above the canyon road below.
I thought of another favorite poem when we came to a fork in the trail. Robert Frost's classic "The Road Not Taken" came to mind.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler ere long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth.
I loved reading mom's well-worn copy of "The Best Loved Poems of the American People" and was so thrilled when she found a reprint of the treasured book and gave me my own copy after I was married.
We spent two days enjoying the beauty in our own backyard; and while the light wasn't as favorable on the first day, as indicated by these last two pictures, both days were glorious. They brought back fond memories of my mom and also taught me that you don't have to travel the world to find beauty. Sometimes the greatest beauty can be found in your own back yard.
