Father

Tomorrow, as you all know, is Father's Day! Dads, and all father figures in general, hold the power to make such an impression on their children. I am ever grateful for my amazing father, who has made an imprint of love and strength on my heart. I wrote this poem last year for his birthday, and thought it fitting for this holiday.

Father                   (July 4, 2014)

See the fire burning bright
The blaze that warms cold hands
It’s a wall of flames at night
A wolf-repelling brand


See the bedrock ‘neath the soil
Bearing a castle great
It’s a compacted vein of strength
That none can penetrate


See the sails of the mighty ship
That catch the southern breeze
And direct the noble sailors
Across calm or stormy seas


See the rushing woodland stream
Bringing life to what grows near
Its waters reflect the lights above
The stars feel closer here


All these things are in one man
The fire, rock, and sails
Rivers run through my father’s heart
So let me unwind the tale


He’s a warm, protecting fire
That keeps the beasts at bay
He’s a strong support beneath us
Steadfast, come what may


He’s the sail of a family vessel
Guiding us over the waves
He’s a life-giving waterway
Reflecting the One who saves


But how can one possess all these?
How can a mortal man
Be fire, rock, and sail, and flood?
I’ll tell you how he can


The fire was sparked by holy flint
God forged the vein of stone
The Word directs his willing sails
The waters flow from Christ alone


If not for that, he’d be as lost
As any other soul
But thank the Lord for saving grace
That bestowed on him this role:


Father – my Daddy, now and always
He belongs to me
He’s head of a precious household

To our hearts, he holds the key

Lord, thank You for my father
Who protects, upholds, and leads
He’s Your warrior, through and through
With You, he does great deeds