Poetry Friday: Poets, by Joyce Kilmer

Here's the second installment of my weekly, hopefully consistent (hey, I managed two weeks in a row!) segment: Poetry Friday.

As promised, today I'm bringing you a poem by one of my favorite poets, Joyce Kilmer. If you don't know his life story, take a few moments to google it... The way he responded to suffering by creating more beauty and becoming more staunch in his faith has always been an inspiration to me--and is very evident in the poem below. If you were forced to memorize Trees in grade school and were left thinking that was all Kilmer was capable of (though, personally, I love that poem), think again.

The Lake of Zug, by Joseph Mallord William Turner, from the Met Open Collection.
POETS

Vain is the chiming of forgotten bells
That the wind sways above a ruined shrine.
Vainer his voice in whom no longer dwells
Hunger that craves immortal Bread and Wine.

Light songs we breath that perish with our breath
Out of lips that have not kissed the rod.
They shall not live who have not tasted death.
They only sing who are struck dumb by God.

Comments

Popular Posts