Friday, June 17, 2016

Chewing Amber

A father is only capable of giving what he has, and what he knows. A good father gives all of himself that is good.
~Vincent Carrella



Gum or diamond? by La FoeZ'

Happy Father's Day to the dads! We are going to New Hampshire to see my father-in-law. Here's a poem for the holiday:

Whose Mouth Do I Speak With

by Suzanne Rancourt

I can remember my father bringing home spruce gum.
He worked in the woods and filled his pockets
with golden chunks of pitch.
For his children
he provided this special sacrament
and we’d gather at this feet, around his legs,

Read the rest here

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The Poetry Friday round-up is at Carol's Corner. Thanks, Carol!

12 comments:

Sally Murphy said...

Lovely Tabatha. I love the image of the amber gum as "the eyes of Coyote".

Diane Mayr said...

What an unexpected ending! It takes the poem to a whole other level. Enjoy your trip to NH. It's beautiful up here now. I only hope you don't spend the weekend tied up in traffic.

Carol said...

Tabatha- I LOVE the Carella quote. Definitely some big truth there. I had to go back and reread the poem after reading Diane's comment. Enjoy your time in New Hampshire with your father-in-law.

Irene Latham said...

Oh the gifts of our fathers... mine introduced me to fine dining on "dates" when I was a girl and we were living across the lake from New Orleans. Made a foodie out of me, he did! Of course he also introduced me to icees and pork rinds, so there was a nice balance. :) Enjoy your father in law. thanks for the quote and poem. xo

Brenda at FriendlyFairyTales said...

Have a good visit. I love the end of the poem, so unexpected and thought-provoking. "we held the eyes of Coyote
and how many other children had fathers
that placed on their innocent, anxious tongue
the blood of tree"

Wonderful.

author amok said...

What a gorgeous poem, Tabatha. I also loved the closing lines that Brenda mentioned. Look at those vivid nouns: eyes, coyote, tongue, blood, tree.

jama said...

Love the earthy, primal elements in this poem, Tabatha. Your opening quote is the perfect complement to the poem, too. Enjoy your weekend in NH!

Books4Learning said...

i love the quote by Vincent C. Interesting poem--especially the final couple lines.

Linda B said...

"So close to chewing amber". What a memory to keep, a father who thought of his children even in those hard-working days. They were lucky, weren't they? Thanks, Tabatha. What you share always inspires me to try harder as I write.

Margaret Simon said...

This poem drew me in immediately. I was shocked by the word blood. But it works with Coyote and leaves me with the profound feeling of a father's love.

Anonymous said...

What a fabulous ending. And again, it is the simple things that resonate. #moneycantbuy

Violet N. said...

What a powerful little poem. I love the originality of this father's gift. It brings to mind the special gifts my Dad gave me: sitting on his knee or near, watching him draw something then guessing what it was; hearing him talk to our animals; listening to him practice his saxophone.