“I Think That I Shall Never See A Poem Lovely As A Tree” (“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” (“Trees” by Joyce Kilmer).

When we were young, our mother read poems from an ancient book from her school days in the 1930s: One Hundred Best Poems For Boys And Girls compiled by Marjorie Barrows.  In that small book with fragile, yellowed pages, were favorite poems: “Little Orphant Annie”, “The Raggedy Man”, “Pirate Don Durk of Dowdee”, “The Duel”, “The Sugar-Plum Tree”, and “Trees.”  Even before I heard “Trees” read to me, I was enchanted by trees and what they symbolize.

What do trees symbolize?  They show us the biorhythms of life, the authority of nature, the connectedness of all living things.  As a child and now, as an adult, trees and I have a deep spiritual relationship. Trees aren’t just symbols; they share messages with us, with other sentient beings, with each other. If you’re interested in what the symbolism is associated with a host of tree names, such as Magnolia, Cherry, Oak, or Pine, check out this article: https://8billiontrees.com/trees/tree-symbolism/ .

Over this past summer, I’ve observed what happens when a tree transitions. (Since energy never dies and it simply changes forms, I don’t refer to any living thing as having ‘died.’ It has transitioned.)  In July, when fresh figs were ripening on the old fig tree in my back yard, the tree was hit by lightening.  It was severely damaged.  I was only able to salvage 5 sweet figs from the transitioning branches.  As I cut off the damaged parts, I remembered all the summers that fig tree provided tasty fruit for us and for the birds.  Will it make a come-back next year?  I hope so.

In the wide expanse of yard in front of the B’nai Zion temple in my town was a giant, sprawling oak tree.  Its limbs were so thick and heavy, they touched the ground.  I have a feeling, it was a favorite tree to climb on.  I marveled at this behemoth of a tree every time I drove past it.  One day a couple of months ago and after a strong rainstorm when I passed by the jumbo oak tree, I noticed that it had split.  Several limbs sported dry, brown leaves rather than the vibrant green leaves it usually had.  That colossal tree was transitioning.  It was sad to witness.

A couple of weeks later, I drove by and all remnants of that massive, beautiful tree were gone.  It had been cut down, stump ground to sawdust, and only a small lump of dirt remained, as though it had never taken up space there. While I lamented the tree’s transition, I was astonished to see 6 ‘young adult’ oak trees in a row beside where the old tree had stood. I’d never noticed those splendid younger trees before; they had been overshadowed by the old tree.  To me, this is a metaphor for life: when one dramatic thing transitions, other impressive things appear in my line of sight.

Do you commune with trees?  While it might seem odd to communicate with trees, I find it spiritually connecting and inspiring.  I often put my hands on the bark of trees and respectfully speak to them, either silently or out loud, as though I were conversing with a friend.  I express gratitude for its production of oxygen, for its shade, for its beauty. And, then, I wait to see what wisdom trees share with me. I have an old, massive pecan tree in my backyard that isn’t putting out fruit like it used to and it’s leaning.  I encourage ‘Sister Pecan Tree’ to straighten, to reach tall, and to bend away from the house.

Did you know that trees communicate with other trees?  German forester and best-selling author of The Secret Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben “…revealed that a gigantic network of microscopic fungi enables trees to exchange information. He calls this network the Internet of the Forest, and with good reason: the mycorrhizae that can even be seen with the naked eye under the dead leaves of trees in a beech forest, for example, are so many little ‘cables’ by which the trees are linked to each other. [Trees communicate through the air too.] However, the root system is not the only way trees communicate with each other. Like us, they have developed several senses. It is not just touch but taste, smell, and even sight. Look at two large beech or oak trees growing side by side for decades. Neither bothers the other and each, out of modesty or respect, holds back the growth of its largest branches so that they don't worry about the other while it pushes them away from the side that doesn't bother it. In the same way, their crowns will not touch, and unless they are competing for light, which generally happens when they are not the same age, both will respect their neighbour's living space. Phytoncides are another way for trees to communicate. The Russian biologist Boris Petrovich Tokin coined this term to describe all the volatile antimicrobial organic compounds emitted into the air by trees and herbaceous plants. These are molecules biosynthesised by plants to defend themselves against pathogenic micro-organisms. They are present in the air surrounding the plants that emit them, and although invisible, humans and animals inhale them through the skin and the respiratory tract. This is one of the main subjects of the famous sylvotherapy, which the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, which leads them to say that a walk in the forest is an excellent way to get rid of pathogens” (https://ecotree.green/en/blog/do-trees-communicate).

What is the cultural and spiritual significance of trees? Many societies over the ages have revered trees, communicated with them, and honored trees as sacred beings. Indigenous peoples all over the world hold trees in great respect as they recognize the interconnectedness and spiritual meaning trees hold in nature.  In Celtic traditions, trees are linked with various gods / goddesses and are believed to have magical qualities.  Japanese Shinto consider certain trees to be holy and are worshipped as homes for spirits.  In Hinduism, the Banyan tree is admired as being connected to wisdom and immortality (https://treeming.org/ancient-wisdom-what-indigenous-cultures-teach-us-about-forests/).

Are you interested in exploring this topic more?  Check out these websites: https://konacloudforest.com/blog/beneath-the-forest-floor-how-trees-communicate-feel-care/ ; https://www.americanforests.org/article/people-and-trees-an-intimate-connection/.

Starting on 13 October 2026, writer/ teacher /Metaphysician, Rebecca Campbell, is hosting a free 3 days “turning our attention toward the trees” in her The Tree Experiment.  Here is how to sign up for this experience: https://soul.rebeccacampbell.me/treeexperiment/ .  Ms. Campbell shares, “Trees have always had the power to bring me back to myself.  Maybe you’ve felt that too.  Maybe you say hello to the same tree each morning. Maybe you’ve asked a question while walking in nature and felt an answer unexpectedly arrive. Or maybe you’ve stood beneath an ancient tree and sensed something you couldn’t explain. Maybe you are a tree person too. You know that the Earth has wisdom to share because you’ve felt it. The Tree Experiment is an invitation to deepen that relationship. To step away from the constant stream of information and spend intentional time with something older, slower and more deeply rooted. Each day, I’ll guide you through a different practice. Then it’s your turn to spend time with a tree and see what happens. And then...On Monday, October 19, we’ll gather live to compare notes and explore what emerged from this collective experience. Bring your curiosity and meet me beneath the trees. I honestly don’t know. But that’s what makes it so exciting. For three days, I’ll guide you through practices that invite you to remember with the trees, listen to them and breathe with them. Each day, you’ll leave your screen, spend a little time with a tree near you and pay attention to what happens.  You might experience a memory returning, an unexpected feeling, an image that sparks curiosity or a clear sense of knowing. My hope is that you’ll come away feeling more grounded and alive, and perhaps you’ll have a new perspective on something that’s been on your mind. And I want us all to compare notes. After each practice, I’ll invite you to log what you noticed. A message, a feeling, a shift in energy. As your experiences arrive from around the world, we’ll look for the threads that connect them. Did any of us notice similar things? Were there feelings, images, wisdom or themes that came up again and again? ‘What would happen if thousands of us intentionally listened to the trees?’ There’s no particular experience you’re meant to have, and I have no idea what we’ll learn. And I’m not supposed to. This is an experiment.

I hope you’ll join us! “ (https://soul.rebeccacampbell.me/treeexperiment/).

Does communicating with trees intrigue you? Please share your thoughts, insights, and suggestions by either commenting below this post if you are reading this on social media, or, if you are reading this through your email subscription, please share, by emailing me, at MissyDuncanPhdofficial@gmail.com . I invite you to subscribe to my blog at www.missyduncanphdofficial.com. My YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvddqOlfJbS0ypODwbmQ_JA .  Although my channel is just hatched and is not quite a fledgling, I will keep feeding it and encourage it to take flight.