Fatherhood

Fatherhood

biology drives procreation,

yet loving choice and conscious effort

can drive parenting into an art, 

elevate it,

so that we can reach toward providing 

what every chid deserves,

the mother is primal to the biology and to the parenting,

a bond that regularly deserves awe

and always deserves respect,

as a father I can feel as apprentice to a master,

yet also I can be a second set of hands,

a different angle to deepen and broaden the view,

a different emotionality,

I work hard at being a good father, a good grandfather:

I work to see the child, 

the adolescent, 

the adult,

to appreciate the being,

to appreciate the becoming,

to know when to hold close, 

when to let go,

there is no more important job than parenting,

and being a good father is a calling

we should hear, and follow, as best we can.

by Henry H. Walker

June 21, ‘20