Father Poem by Shane Dickie

Father and I sit in silence and admire our handiwork,
He is teaching me the about life—lessons handed down
To Him from his father; lessons not in words but in actions,
In His sincere, quiet strength, of singular purpose
His character tells all, the model of a man for a boy,
All the questions, (and there were so many)
He may know not the answer to, never mind it,
It is not important if x be six and not seven
But rather how we arrive at the conclusion
And the reason for asking and inquiring in the first place
He shows his flaws if only to communicate
That you will have some also, although surely
Inside the vast strength of his character
They quickly fade from view like the sight
Of the barn on his long country walks.
Father is masculine ideal; a tall order asked
Of any father, with no template to follow,
No Guide except for that of his own father,
A script he wants to improve upon.
Although when he was young there was no critical eye,
Only when he becomes a man and challenges
His hero, dethroning him; no longer superman
Yet he is seen in the new light of friend and confidant,
And the cycle passes on as it has throughout the ages