9 Reflective Poems about Losing a Father

These poignant verses pay homage to the paternal figure who guided, protected, and nurtured. The poems encapsulate the complexity of emotions surrounding the loss of a father—feelings of loss, admiration, and sometimes unfinished conversations.

They become tributes to the lessons learned, the wisdom gained, and the love bestowed, reminding readers of the enduring impact a father’s presence has on their lives.

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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.

The death of the speaker's father, likely inspired by the death of Kavanagh's father, dominates the poem and shapes its emotional core. Kavanagh’s brilliance lies in his skill to make the father’s presence felt in every aspect of the speaker’s life, no matter where he goes. This reflects how grief and loss continually interrupt the flow of daily life, blending memories of the past with the present in a deeply emotional and relatable way.

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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Obituary

by A. K. Ramanujan

‘Obituary’ by A.K. Ramanujan explores the universal toll a parent’s passing can have on a child and all the ways that their memory remains even after their death.

Losing a father is at the heart of the poem, but it is not shown in a deeply emotional or dramatic way. Instead of focusing on sorrow, the speaker talks about the ordinary things his father left behind, like debts, papers, and forgotten rituals. He seems unsure of how to feel, as if trying to make sense of the loss. The poem shows that losing a father is not always about overwhelming grief but can also bring frustration, confusion, and lingering questions.

Father, when he passed on,

left dust

on a table of papers,

left debts and daughters,

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Amateur Fighter

by Natasha Trethewey

‘Amateur Fighter’ is a poem about a speaker thinking of her father, a boxer. His painful journey inside and outside the ring is portrayed through this piece.

What's left is the tiny gold glove

hanging from his key chain. But,

before that, he had come to boxing,

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My Father Would Not Show Us

by Ingrid de Kok

‘My Father Would Not Show Us’ navigates grief, revealing a daughter’s struggle with her father’s silent departure from life.

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On A Portrait Of A Deaf Man

by John Betjeman

‘On A Portrait Of A Deaf Man’ weaves love and loss, juxtaposing cherished moments with stark reminders of mortality.

The kind old face, the egg-shaped head,

The tie, discretely loud,

The loosely fitting shooting clothes,

A closely fitting shroud.

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The Lost Pilot

by James Tate

‘The Lost Pilot’ is dedicated to James Tate’s father, who died on a bombing mission in World War II in 1944. He was a co-pilot of a B-17.

Your face did not rot

like the others--the co-pilot,

for example, I saw him

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The Moss of His Skin

by Anne Sexton

‘The Moss of His Skin’ by Anne Sexton is an unforgettable poem about a young girl who is buried next to her father.

It was only important

To smile and hold still,

To lie down beside him

And to rest awhile,

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White Apples

by Donald Hall

The poet of ‘White Apples’ Donald Hall uses plain language and a simple style to describe the effect of a loved one’s death in a speaker’s mind. The way he misses his father is described in this poem.

when my father had been dead a week

I woke

with his voice in my ear

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Yesterday

by W.S. Merwin

In ‘Yesterday,’ Merwin presents the conversation between two individuals regarding their last meeting with their fathers. This interesting conversation centers on the irony of human relationships.

My friend says I was not a good son

you understand

I say yes I understand

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9 Reflective Poems about Losing a Father

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9 Reflective Poems about Losing a Father

by Patrick Kavanagh

by A. K. Ramanujan

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