MNN - Mother Nature Network

The choice of Father's Day poems may not be as wide as those that honor mothers or romantic love.

 

But the narrow band of verse that pays tribute to dads attests to the often-complicated nature of the father-child relationship while also enumerating the joys of fatherhood.

 

The selection of poems below recall fathers who saved the day by removing a splinter as well as fathers whose physical capacity for hard work inspired their sons.

 

Here are five poems about fathers:

 

1.”My Father Moved Through Dooms of Love” – by e.e. cummings

 

Cummings (1894 - 1962) is perhaps best known to modern readers as a poet who eschewed the standard rules of capitalization. He is considered one of the best avant-garde poets of the 20^th century, and someone who, despite his unique and unorthodox style, managed to bring wide audiences to his poetry and poetry in general.

 

In his signature style, he celebrates his father in this particularly evocative stanza:

 

 

2. “Digging” by Seamus Heaney

 

Heaney (b. 1939) is perhaps the best-known living Irish poet. Born in Northern Ireland, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. He frequently writes about the world he knew as a child – rural life in Ireland. In this poem, he pays tribute to his father and grandfather by describing their skill at tending to potato plants. One particular verse stands out:

 

 

3. “The Hospital Window” By James L. Dickey

 

Dickey (1923 – 1997) is now perhaps best known as the author of the acclaimed 1970 novel “Deliverance,” which tells the story of a trip into the wilderness gone awry. But he had a distinguished career not only as a poet but also as an adman. In this poem, Dickey recalls a visit with his father while he’s dying in the hospital. The crux of the poem is the poet’s efforts to wring one last wave from his father.

 

4. “The Gift” by Li-Young Lee

 

The poet was born in Djakarta, Indonesia in 1957. His parents had been exiled from China, and came from powerful families there, according to the Poetry Foundation. Lee’s great grandfather was the first president of the Republic of China, and Lee’s father had been the personal physician to Mao Tse-tsung. In this poem, Lee tells the story of his father patiently removing a splinter from his young son’s hand while distracting him with a story.

 

Here’s a moving excerpt from the poem:

 

 

5. “Men at My Father’s Funeral” by William Matthews

 

According to the Poetry Foundation, Matthews (1942 – 1997) is sometimes grouped with other poets such as Robert Bly as a member of the “deep image” movement in poetry. Such poets typically rely on one strong image to evoke feelings and associations in a poem. The poem “Men at My Father’s Funeral” appeared in Matthews’ 1995 collection, “Time & Money: New Poems.” Here it is in its entirety:

 

Do you know additional Father’s Day poems? Leave a comment below and describe your favorite poems about fathers and fatherhood.