When I was a kid in high school back in the ’40s our teacher made us read the poem “Trees.”

I was drafted for the Korean War in the early 1950s. In the barracks there was guy who every evening would sing a tune with that poem.

Who wrote the poem and who put the music to the words, and in what year?

The poem was written in 1913 by Joyce Kilmer, and the tune was composed by pianist Oscar Rasbach in 1922.

The poem:

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the sweet earth’s 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.

Kilmer died in 1918 in the Second Battle of the Marne in France. A nearly 4,000-acre forest in North Carolina was named in his honor in 1936. Rasbach died in 1975.

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Online: www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/joyce-kilmer.

Bus drivers may park with permission

Is it OK for school bus drivers to tend to personal business while driving a school bus? There is always so many school buses parked in business parking lots.

“Unless a driver runs platoon routes throughout the school day, most bus drivers only work part time for the district. Please keep in mind that many of our drivers run morning and afternoon routes while working a separate job during the day,” Kirby Smith, Calcasieu school system spokeswoman, wrote in an email.

“With permission, the drivers are able to park their buses at or near their place of work in between routes. In addition, field-trip buses run throughout the day and are often parked while waiting to return students to school.”

Some general operating procedures listed in the district’s handbook for drivers:

“Recognize and respect the rights and property of students and co-workers and maintain confidentiality in all matters relating to students and co-workers.”

“Only authorized personnel, registered school-age students or identified sponsors or chaperones may ride the school bus.”

“Drivers must be present and supervising students as they load/unload or are on the bus. In the event of an emergency, the driver will not leave students unattended until another adult is present to supervise students. At no time should students be onboard without supervision.”

“Buses are not to be driven or parked on private property (business, etc.) or used for personal business. Buses are not to be taken to a 2nd job without approval from the Transportation Department.”

“Be courteous at all times. Courtesy should be practiced at all times on streets with heavy traffic patterns as well as on campuses and in subdivisions.”

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Online: www.cpsb.org.

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The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com.

(MGNonline)