 With " Trees " , Kilmer was said to have " rediscovered simplicity " , and the simplicity of its message and delivery is a source of its appeal . In 1962 , English professor Barbara <unk> recounted that her undergraduate students considered the poem as " one of the finest poems ever written , or at least a very good one " — even after its technical flaws were discussed — because of its simple message and that it " paints such lovely pictures " . The students pointed to " how true the poem is " , and it appealed to both her students ' " romantic attitude towards nature " and their appreciation of life , nature , <unk> , and beauty because of its message that " the works of God completely overshadow our own <unk> attempts at creation . " Considering this sentiment , the enduring popularity of " Trees " is <unk> by its association with annual Arbor Day <unk> and the planting of memorial trees as well as the several parks named in honor of Kilmer , including the Joyce Kilmer @-@ <unk> Wilderness and Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest tracts within the <unk> National Forest in Graham County , North Carolina . 
