Happy Father’s Day to all of you!
This year I've been thinking, more than ever before, about what makes a good father. Perhaps this is because my newest novel, Independence, set in 1940s India, at the height of the country's freedom struggle, has 2 strong father characters, Nabakumar and Somnath, who support my three heroines in unique and important ways.
What is it that makes a good father? I'm sure the answers are many. To celebrate Father’s Day, I'd like to showcase a tender & beautifully written poem by Clint Smith, titled "Waiting on a Heartbeat," that gives us one answer. It is addressed to his yet-unborn child. (Scroll down for the full poem.)
Please check out this talented poet's collection, Above Ground, from which this poem is taken.
I would love it if you share your favorite poem on parenthood with me.
WAITING ON A HEARTBEAT
— Clint Smith
the doctor says you are there even though we cannot hear you & you know what they say about the tree falling in the forest & i know i have never heard a tree i could not see but i have seen trees i could not hear little one are you the tree or the forest or the sound we cannot hear perhaps you are all three you are half the size of a fingernail they say & every time i hear that i look down at my cuticles & imagine you sitting there telling me it’s okay there is nothing to worry about there is joy in being a father to a mystery there is grace in watching the lilac & knowing its petals will not expand before your eyes only after you have left & you little one are my daily reminder that you do not go to a botanical garden to watch the flowers grow you go to give thanks for what has already blossomed
Lilac Sprig
