15+ Heartfelt Poems about Fathers and Sons

(15 to start, 50+ to explore)

Poems about fathers and sons explore these two individuals’ profound bond and intergenerational connection. They capture the passing of wisdom, shared experiences, and enduring love that defines this relationship.

In these poems, fathers and sons become embodiments of lineage, heritage, and the perpetuation of values.

Ultimately, these poems about fathers and sons invite readers to reflect on the timeless connection between these two individuals.

Poems about Fathers and Sons Visual Representation

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My Papa’s Waltz

by Theodore Roethke

‘My Papa’s Waltz’ uses a rowdy dance between a father and son as a metaphor for the darker undercurrents of masculine relationships.

The main topic of Roethke's poem revolves around the emotionally complicated and physically abusive side of the relationship between a father and son. Here, the child finds themselves at the mercy ("I hung on like death") of their father's raucousness, enduring careless aggression, and yet still finding themselves longing for their love ("Still clinging to your shirt"). For the speaker, even presumably joyous or celebratory moments come at a price.

The whiskey on your breath

Could make a small boy dizzy;

But I hung on like death:

Such waltzing was not easy.

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A Prodigal Son

by Christina Rossetti

‘A Prodigal Son’ reveals how a mixture of desperation, shame, and longing leads a wayward child back toward a redemptive parental love.

The relationship between a father and son lies at the center of both Rossetti's poem and the parable of the prodigal son. In terms of Christianity, the relationship mirrors the one between god and humanity, the former a merciful and fatherly deity that values repentant reconciliation over judgment. Since the poem is told from the perspective of the son, their internal confrontation with guilt and desperation feels far more personal and not just an allegory that communicates a theological point.

Does that lamp still burn in my Father's house,

Which he kindled the night I went away?

I turned once beneath the cedar boughs,

And marked it gleam with a golden ray;

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Long Distance II

by Tony Harrison

‘Long Distance II’ by Tony Harrison is an elegiac poem that describes a father’s way of grieving the death of his wife and his child’s reaction to his futile actions.

‘Long Distance II’ by Tony Harrison describes a son’s attempts at understanding the desperate acts of his father to hold onto his belief that his wife is not dead. She is so much alive in his attempts at keeping her things ready for her long-awaited arrival.

Though my mother was already two years dead

Dad kept her slippers warming by the gas,

put hot water bottles her side of the bed

and still went to renew her transport pass.

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Memory of My Father

by Patrick Kavanagh

Kavanagh’s poem portrays feelings of grief with startling potency by emphasising the presence of the speaker’s deceased father.

This is one of the best poetic portrayals of the deep bond between fathers and sons, as the memory of the father lingers long after his death. One of its most striking qualities is how it transforms a deeply personal relationship into something universal. By doing so, it allows readers to connect with the enduring love and loss that such relationships inspire, making it resonate far beyond the specific experience described.

Every old man I see

Reminds me of my father

When he had fallen in love with death

One time when sheaves were gathered.

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Knock Knock

by Daniel Beaty

‘Knock Knock’ by Daniel Beaty is a heartfelt poem exploring themes of loss and hope through the powerful narrative of a father-son relationship.

It explores the father-son relationship beautifully, capturing the deep bond and emotional impact of the father's absence on the son. The poem reflects on cherished memories, the pain of separation, and the longing for paternal guidance. The father's imagined message offers life lessons and encouragement, underscoring the enduring influence of their connection.

As a boy I shared a game with my father.

Played it every morning ‘til I was 3.

He would knock knock on my door, and I’d pretend to be asleep ‘til he got right next to the bed,

Then I would get up and jump into his arms.

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Eden Rock

by Charles Causley

‘Eden Rock’ evokes nostalgia, depicting a timeless picnic with his parents, blending memory with longing for familial unity.

In this poem, Causely describes his twenty-five-year-old father wearing an old Irish tweed suit with his two-year-old terrier Jack. He is depicted leisurely throwing stones along the water and probably waiting for his son to join them.

They are waiting for me somewhere beyond Eden Rock:

My father, twenty-five, in the same suit

Of Genuine Irish Tweed, his terrier Jack

Still two years old and trembling at his feet.

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A Story

by Li-Young Lee

‘A Story’ is a short but challenging poem about a father and son. The father struggles to connect with his son, but also recognizes that it will not be long before his child grows up.

The poem features a father and a son, and no other characters. It is a deep exploration of the way that a parent-child relationship might fall apart, even if everyone involved loves and cares about each other. The father in this poem has a deep desire to connect with his son, but still feels that his efforts will never be good enough. Whether or not the father's feelings are justified remains ambiguous.

Sad is the man who is asked for a story

and can't come up with one.

His five-year-old son waits in his lap.

Not the same story, Baba. A new one.

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On My First Son

by Ben Jonson

‘On my First Son’ is a poem about a father who has lost a young son, and attempts to distance himself from the tragedy in numerous ways.

This poem is a father’s emotional tribute to his deceased child. Jonson’s love for his son is clear, as he calls him his “best piece of poetry". The poem reflects the unique pain a father feels when losing a son, not just as a parent, but as someone who sees his child as a part of himself: "child of my right hand". The depth of his emotion is apparent as he vows to never love anything like he loved his son. This highlights the strength of parental love and the devastating impact after its loss.

Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy;

My sin was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy.

Seven years thou'wert lent to me, and I thee pay,

Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.

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Digging

by Seamus Heaney

‘Digging’ contrasts the speaker’s daydreaming with his ancestors’ hard work, pondering his own path while trying to write.

Like many of the poems in Heaney's 1966 collection, Death of a Naturalist, Digging is preoccupied by the relationship Heaney's speaker has with his father. Even though there is clearly respect and love between them, the speaker feels aware of the fact that the two men are very different, largely due to the speaker's decision to pursue a career as a writer instead of farming.

Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds

Bends low, comes up twenty years away

Stooping in rhythm through potato drills

Where he was digging.

#10

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Winter Stars

by Larry Levis

‘Winter Stars’ by Larry Levis tries to reconcile the estranged relationship between a son and their dying father.

Levis' poem is a beautifully melancholic portrayal of a father and son relationship that is perhaps all too familiar to many people.

My father once broke a man’s hand

Over the exhaust pipe of a John Deere tractor. The man,

Rubén Vásquez, wanted to kill his own father

With a sharpened fruit knife, & he held

#11

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First autumn morning

by Murakami Kijo

‘First autumn morning’ by Murakami Kijo explores the process of aging and how one learns more about their parents as one gets older.

The relationship between fathers and sons is a significant theme in the poem. The recognition of the father's face in the mirror signifies a deep connection and shared lineage between the speaker and their father. This theme explores the influence of paternal figures on personal identity and the intergenerational bonds that shape individuals.

First autumn morning:

the mirror I stare into

shows my father's face.

#12

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Follower

by Seamus Heaney

‘Follower’ has many of the aspects which characterize the poems of Seamus Heaney. Having grown up in an area of Northern Ireland that greatly valued family, hard work, and farming, Heaney’s poems often reflect all of these values at once.

'Follower' delves into the intricate relationship between fathers and sons, portraying the son's admiration for his father's agricultural prowess. It explores the son's desire to emulate his father's skills while acknowledging his own limitations. The poem captures the evolving dynamics between generations, reflecting on the challenges and aspirations that shape the bond between fathers and sons.

My father worked with a horse-plough,

His shoulders globed like a full sail strung

Between the shafts and the furrow.

The horses strained at his clicking tongue.

#13

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Little Boy Crying

by Mervyn Morris

‘Little Boy Crying’ by Mervynn Morris describes the emotions of a child who is struck by his father for playing in the rain.

The poem is a poignant exploration of the complex and often fraught relationship between fathers and sons. The father's strict discipline is motivated by his love for his child. Still, it is met with confusion and hurt by the young child, illustrating the difficulties of communicating effectively across generations.

Your mouth contorting in brief spite and hurt, your laughter metamorphosed into howls, your frame so recently relaxed now tight with three year old frustration, your bright eyes

#14

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Lorry

by Al Hafiz Sanusi

‘Lorry’ by Al Hafiz Sanusi depicts the ways that change can improve lives but also complicate and damage them. The poet uses the poem to discuss the need for better transportation standards for migrant workers.

The relationship between the speaker and his father is key. The speaker respects and worries about his father. This bond shows the love and responsibility within the family. The poem reflects on how changes in society impact this relationship. Fathers and sons represent continuity and change.

The day will come

when you who have helped to build our nation

will finally

get to sit back

#15

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A Prayer For My Son

by William Butler Yeats

‘A Prayer for my Son,’ written from the perspective of a father who wants to protect his son against all odds during the brewing war in Ireland. Read the poem with a complete analysis.

The relationship between fathers and sons is a key theme. Yeats shows the deep bond and protective instinct a father has for his son. This drives the father's prayers for safety. The poem highlights the challenges and duties of this relationship. It shows the deep love between fathers and sons.

Bid a strong ghost stand at the head

That my Michael may sleep sound,

Nor cry, nor turn in the bed

Till his morning meal come round;

Home » Collection » Poems about Fathers and Sons

15+ Heartfelt Poems about Fathers and Sons

(15 to start, 50+ to explore)

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15+ Heartfelt Poems about Fathers and Sons

(15 to start, 50+ to explore)

by Theodore Roethke

by Christina Rossetti

by Tony Harrison

by Patrick Kavanagh

by Daniel Beaty

by Charles Causley

by Li-Young Lee

by Ben Jonson

by Seamus Heaney

by Larry Levis

by Murakami Kijo

by Seamus Heaney

by Mervyn Morris

by Al Hafiz Sanusi

by William Butler Yeats

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