Juneteenth and Father’s Day
Third week of June
A double celebration
Of fathers we know
And those liberated
Over a hundred years ago
On Juneteenth
Marking the end of slavery
When men were encouraged
To breed
And not be fathers
In the paternal sense
Of nurturing a child
A form of fatherhood
Not to be celebrated
But remembered
On Juneteenth
As inspirational for all
Denied reciprocal love
Between father and child
And aspirational in forging
That universal bond
Hence Juneteenth’s legacy
Coinciding with Father’s Day
Is not simply coincidental
But consequential
When honoring fathers
Past, present and absent.
This article appears in June 18, 2021.
The poem and painting both beautifully capture the bond and interdependence of a boy and his father/grandfather. A very loving message well done!
For me your poem profoundly captured in words the weight of a deep unspoken love between me my Black maleness and souls like me in the past I feel it but can’t say it but you did
Harry you are always poignant and succinct!
Very lovely poem and painting Harry that leads me to remember my dear father and the eternal bond with paternal ancestors I never knew.
The past and future are so well aligned in your beautiful work, Harry!!