Father & Son Poem by David Lewis Paget

Father & Son

Rating: 5.0


There is the family photograph
That is your father’s face,
There is your father’s father
Grey-gathering years apace;
The son, bright-eyed in the morning,
The father, lined and drawn,
The son became the father
On the day that you were born.

We’ve all set out on the highway
Our fathers wished us well,
The sons became the fathers
In the same distinctive spell;
The road of all beginnings
Is all there is to lend,
But many a twist, and many a turn
Has marred us at the end.

He was my father’s father,
I am my father’s son,
We’ve travelled as far, and farther
Than our father’s years have run;
The twists and turns of fortune
Mean nothing, lost or won,
But the love of a father’s father,
And the love of a father’s son.

3 September 1977

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
..... W@king Up..... 14 June 2013

Wonderful poem :) I agree with the poet below. There is a very likeable quality to this poem :) -Wu

3 0 Reply
Indira Renganathan 23 August 2009

The last stanza is the most likable...filiality personified in your words....excellent....thank you

2 0 Reply
John Ahern 27 April 2017

Magnificent, and thought provoking as are all your poems, David.

2 0 Reply
Paul Reed 22 September 2016

A wonderful poem. Would you read my poem 'Faded Photographs' which tries to express the same sentiments about parents (but not as well yours I might add)

3 0 Reply
Adeline Foster 22 April 2016

Yes, we are each ourselves, no matter what others may think. Good poem. Read mine - Who Am I - Adeline

3 0 Reply
Jayatissa K. Liyanage 20 January 2015

An enjoyable poem on a very unusual and special theme. I particularly like the rhythmic style and the way it ended.

4 0 Reply
Roseann Shawiak 09 November 2014

Having two sons myself, this poem has meaning for me, I loved reading it. Reminds me of looking back at pictures of the past also and remarking how sons look like their fathers and their fathers before. Great write, keep on writing, you have my attention! RoseAnn

3 0 Reply
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David Lewis Paget

David Lewis Paget

Nottingham, England/live in Australia
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