.Father’s Day Poems

You Taught Me How to Love You

You taught me how to love you by
The way that you loved me;
And by your unseen sustenance,
To see what you could see.

You gave to me through who you were
The gift of what I am.
Your pride in me is now my pride;
Your faith, my caravan.

Your life does not conclude with death,
Nor will it end with mine,
For all the lives I touch, you touch,
And so on through all time.

Nicholas Gordon

The Things You Taught Me I Will Always Know 

The things you taught me I will always know.
How could I not? The roots have sunk so deep:
All lessons of the heart that I will keep
No matter who I am or where I go.
Kids learn from what their parents are, and so
You are my book of life, the thoughts I reap;
Only in your arms I quiet sleep;
Under my words your voice sings soft and slow.
From you I learned the rules of right and wrong
Against which I at times had to rebel,
Though with regret I carry with me still.
How lucky I am to have been loved so well,
Even as I pushed against your will,
Relying on a father fair and strong.

Nicholas Gordon 

You’ve Been Everything to Me

You’ve been everything to me: a father,
Teacher, playmate, model, conscience, friend.
Sometimes I’m not certain why you bother,
If your feelings on my words depend.
I know I haven’t been the child I should:
Far from it, and I really can’t say why.
I know exactly what I’d label good,
But in the real world something goes awry.
Underneath my actions there is love,
Gratitude, respect, and admiration.
Sometimes I don’t know what I’m thinking of,
But I thank God you’re in for the duration.
I’m sorry, sorry for the things I do,
But please believe I cherish Mom and you. 

Nicholas Gordon

To the Father of My Children 

To the father of my children:
Open up your willing heart!
Take what music I can give you,
Hearing, too, my silent song.
Even as, arrayed in passion,
Finding love, I play my part,
A wonder like a wind whips through me,
Truth unknown for which I long.
How beautiful, this unspent yearning,
Ever for the darkness burning,
Rising like a summer storm!

Nicholas Gordon 

To My Dad on His Day

To my dad on his day,
Of whom I am a living will:
May your happiness fulfill
Your goodness, as is just and right.
Deeds are seeds upon the night
As wind and wonder have their way,
Delivering the destined light. 

Nicholas Gordon

To My Dads on Father’s Day 

To my dads on Father’s Day,
On both of whom we both depend:
My daughter reinvents my themes.
Years pass, and well-wrought love remains.
Dads are saviors, straight or gay,
Always where our oceans end,
Deliverers of desperate dreams,
Solid land where sunshine reigns. 

Nicholas Gordon