Poem for a Father
Write a poem for your father built from real memories rather than generic tribute. Free, editable line by line, no sign-up.
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Writing a for a father poem
Poems for fathers often run into the same wall: the relationship is real and complicated, and the available language is hero, provider, my rock. The good ones let some of the complication through.
Three things that make it work
Use what he did, not what he was
Fathers are often easier to write about through actions than feelings. What he fixed, what he refused to pay someone else to do, what he was still doing at eleven at night.
Silence is material
If yours was not a talkative man, that is the poem, not an obstacle to it. What was not said is as usable as what was.
Allow the difficulty
You do not have to resolve it. A poem can hold affection and unfinished business at the same time, and it will be truer for it.
What to avoid
Big strong hands and superhero framing. It flattens a person into a role.
An example
He rewired the whole house rather than call someone. It took a year. The lights still flicker in the hall. He has offered to fix it every visit for nine years. I have started saying no, so he keeps offering.