John Adams High School - Clipper Yearbook (Ozone Park, NY)

Page 32 text:

'Uh X X A055 e xx 'Dwi' VIEX I ww 5 I AMES GRIMES mefucan A-Gad THERE ARE few Americans who have not read sung Penn1es Roses or Ma1n Street? P1t1fully few do not recogn1ze the name of Ioyce Kxlmer 1n assocxa hon w1th lt Others know hlm as the young poet who sacrlfxced h1s llfe ln France m World War I w1th the famous Flghtmg Slxty Nlnth A few more know about hrs walks to Suffem along the Er1e track how many would recogn1ze poems hke Martm Penn1es Roses or Mam Street? P1t1fully few Even now twenty elght years after h1s herolc death Ioyce K1lmer IS st1ll beheved by many to be a woman because of the usually femmme assoc1at1on of h1s flrst name K1lmer was born 1nto a m1ddle class famlly on December 6 1886 1n New Brunswxck New Iersey Dur1ng h1S chlldhood he was consldered a funny httle boy because of the queer clothmg he wore h1s hrgh sensltlvzty and the altogether unusual way ln wh1ch he carrled hlmself He was more or less what mlght be called an odd spectacle Th1s IS so alto gether ln l1ne wlth the llterary trad1t1on that lt would have been odd had he not been odd consldermg the later development of h1S hterary ab1l1ty As IS so often the case ln the hterary trad1t1on Ioyce d1dnt ht 1n w1th h1s schoolmates As a result he was bulhed pmcked upon and called on to xndulge 1n many a f1st flght On reachmg college however h1s outward appearance seemed to be fa1rly normal and he went through Rutgers and Columbxa w1th nary a bru1se or scratch Upon atta1n1ng h1s MA degree at Columb1a Ioyce K1lmer s real troubles began He mlght well be called The Man Who Couldnt Fmd H1mS9lf Hrs f1rst occupat1on was that of a teacher of Latm ln a small hlgh school m rural New Iersey From there he went to New York and became by lucky chance edltor of a horsemans Journal Horses bemg a sub 1ect he knew absolutely nothmg about he soon de parted from lh1S employment Then 1n rap1d succes 30 'J' 45:11 rg Qax -'J f - Nj r -'.' ' N . . -In 'Sf-' N aw I ilslg 1 . .X 0 xi 'fix ' O J I Q f X - . . I 2' X .. . I., .. I.. .. . l.. - - . A-' 9 ' 0 ' . . . . - where he saw The House With Nobody in It. But

Page 31 text:

1.1 fx tw' 01045 M6 gc, . 450' GRANDAD HAS been over our mantelprece as long as I can remember Hes a stuffy old gentleman of the mneteenth century era wlth a choker collar and a dark moustache whrch ln my klndergarten days I assoclated wlth one of the Fuller Brush mans wares H1s stern glances slngled out slster s beaus frequent ly alarmmg them Thadlus Bouregard McN1chols was hrs name It must have home an adverse omen for the poor man H1s face IS st1l1 iurrowed mto one oi those contort1on1st s leers Grandad always salcl T see a man w1th a sm1le on hls face elther meant that he sang 1n the cho1r or had just stolen a horse Gramps d1d nelther consequently our lmvmg room portralt bears a umque 1f not charactenstlc resem blance Father st1ll 1nS1SlS that lt be moved to the att1c where lt can at least scare some m1ce away But mother only thmks of v1s1t1ng relatwes who always make pleas1ng remarks about 1t fThey probably dont mean a word'l I suppose every one has to let h1s pet peeve loose at some t1me For years there has been many a fervent debate over the tamxlys wh1te elephant Perhaps everyone has ln a tar corner somethmg WhlCh demands much care and expense wxthout y1eldmg anythmg 1n return I smcerely doubt mf we ll ever take down the pa1nt1ng though The vacant space over the mantel would suddenly look colder than Grandads frosty countenance Ellen Schwarz A ROSED cheeked ch1ld looked up to a store wmdow wlth eyes bnghtly Shlnlng The httleness of her tr1m hgure seemed to dlsappear for a moment as she advanced closer Then to the eye she was vlsxble agam Her eyes were more radlant as she pressed her pug nose to the cold glass She was gaz1ng longmgly at a doll beautllully dressed 1n magnxhcent clothmg A t1ny chlld w1th pudgy fmgers crossed concealed by red mxttens praylng Santa would glve her that angehc playmate Helene Gold te1n MLC -'fx f'2--Iv ' 4 QQ-G9 A 1 V'-SQ 9 o ' M 1K7 l . I . 29

Page 33 text:

sxon he became a salesman m a book store a department store floor walker a book revlewer for the New York Trmes and a member of the staff of ed1tors for the new Funk and Wag nalls Standard D1ct1onary Whale m th1s last posltxon he at last realrzed that he must be a poet and that he must wrmte of humamty He touched has deep vem of song for the frrst time 1n a poem about one of hrs co work ers on that dxctlonary Martm Some people ask What cruel chance Made Martms l1fe so sad a story? Mart1n Why he exhaled romance And wore an overcoat of glory A fleck of sunhght 1n the street A horse a book a g1rl who Smlled Such v1s1ons made each moment sweet For Ih1S receptlve ancient chxld and l1ttle commonplace thmgs Hrs poetry reflects a bel1ef that everythlng lrves and breathes and has a heart Thls he wrote ln Mam Street Now Mam Street bordered Wllh au tumn leaves 1t was a pleasant thmg And 1ts gutters were gay wlth dancle l1ons early rn the spnng I l1ke to th1nk of rt whlte w1th frost or dusty m the heat Because I thmk It s humaner than any other street And everyone knows about A tree that looks at God all day And hits 1ts leafy arms to pray More than anythmg else K1lmer loved God and h1s poetry often connects the everyday ordmary tlrungs of lxfe w1th God K1lmers Mam Street h1s road to heaven hrs Stars are errant strands of Lady Marys haxr and The tram that hke an angel smgs 31 The tram wlth healmg on 1ts wmgs There 15 no mystery to K1lmers wntmg 1t IS simple and stralght for ward Perhaps for th1s reason he can not be called a great poet Hls are not poems to shake the umverse o cause revolut1ons Hrs name IS not a landmark rn creatxve art The work of Ioyce K1lmer merely bnngs to hght the qI.lCIllI1eS of falth love truth and beauty and they are written from a heart loaded and overflowmg wrth these vuftues If one wxshes to read great poetry one must not hope to fmd 1t 1n K1lmer There are many flaws and xmperfectlons m h1s works They lack most of the qual1t1es of creatrve genlus These shortcommgs however are more than made up for by the1r punty and unblem1shed s1n centy 1n what IS bexng sald God was the frrst thmg rn K1lmer s l1fe he llved for God and wrote for Hlm In one of h1s last letters he wrote Pray that I may love God more It seems that rf I can leam to love God more pas slonately m or e constantly wxthout dlstractlons that absolutely nothxng else matters K1lmer loved h1s country he fought for and on Iuly 30 1918 dxed for rt Hxs love for Amenca Freedom and God can be descnbed 1n no better way than by h1s last wrltten words from The Peacemaker What matters Death lf Freedom be dead? No flags are iamr lf Freedoms flag be furled Who f1ghts for Freedom goes wlth Joyful tread To meet the hres of Hell agamst hmm hurled And has for captam Hxm whose thom wreathed head Smrles from the Cross upon a conquered world , , I I - , . . - - . I I . . . . , I ll ' ' . , I I I ' I I . ' I . I Kilmer loved people and nature. ' ' I I I I - ' ' ll 1 ll . . , , , , - l I . . : I ' , 1 1 1 1 l I I . . . ' ' I . . I I n I I -I il' , , I I I I 1 . . I . ' I ' : ' ' ' ' I II ' ll I 1 IS 1 ' ' ll II ' ' , - . I . n V 1 - - ,, , , .