Poems about fathers
Poems about fathers, fathering, and the shape a father leaves behind.
These poems return to fathers directly and indirectly: care, absence, instruction, memory, and the strange way a father's voice can keep sounding inside later years.
Right There Waiting
One day, when you're six years old you may watch your Dad leave, and have just the vaguest sense of where he's going. But what you won't know
Keep readingYou're Such a Beautiful Child
One day you'll watch From the back seat of the car Your Dad grab your Mom's hair And jerk her head so hard it snaps Back against the headrest.
Keep readingFlickering Eyes
When you leave home for the first time, Someone might recognize you by The sound of your voice, the way you wear your clothes, How you solve a problem.
Keep readingStriped with Life
I watched you with a 4-crayon pack, Filling letters with a careful hand, Each stroke a single color. Halfway through, I touched your tiny wrist— "Try filling the other half of the letter
Keep readingI Still Wish
On the steps outside of music class You taught me how to jump through time. The wrought-iron handrails, Your grip so tight— Tiny feet stuck on those stone steps
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