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literature

On Being a Father

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Daily Deviation

July 25, 2017

On Being a Father by chadwood

Featured by BeccaJS

cwedmart

Published: Jul 10, 2017

4K Views

Literature Text

I began to write a poem
on being a father. As my fingers

tapped the keys, thoughts
swirled into frenzy. How

will I teach her everything I know?
Are the things I know worthy

of being taught? Of what does she
dream, when that tiny voice

comes out in the midst of her
sleep? And the inner voice,

when she's yet to know any
words, what does it say?

Does she worry? Does she wonder?
Does she wrestle with the infinite?

Does she know that she is loved,
and that love is both the heaviest

and lightest burden to bear? Heavy, as
in crushing; light, as in freeing.

I gave up the writing. Deleted everything
I'd written down.

There is no way to say it.

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This is my plight as a writer, now. Well, as a writer that draws straight from personal experience, straight from the moment...this is my plight. I'm a father. It is a thing beyond all saying.

Edit 7/25/2017: Oh my goodness, this is so sweet. Thank you so much BeccaJS for featuring this. I feel very blessed!