Father

Edgar Albert Guest 1881 (Birmingham) – 1959 (Detroit, Michigan)



My father knows the proper way
     The nation should be run;
   He tells us children every day
     Just what should now be done.
   He knows the way to fix the trusts,
     He has a simple plan;
   But if the furnace needs repairs,
     We have to hire a man.
   My father, in a day or two
    Could land big thieves in jail;
  There's nothing that he cannot do,
    He knows no word like "fail."
  "Our confidence" he would restore,
    Of that there is no doubt;
  But if there is a chair to mend,
    We have to send it out.

  All public questions that arise,
    He settles on the spot;
  He waits not till the tumult dies,
    But grabs it while it's hot.
  In matters of finance he can
    Tell Congress what to do;
  But, O, he finds it hard to meet
    His bills as they fall due.

  It almost makes him sick to read
    The things law-makers say;
  Why, father's just the man they need,
    He never goes astray.
  All wars he'd very quickly end,
    As fast as I can write it;
  But when a neighbor starts a fuss,
    'Tis mother has to fight it.

  In conversation father can
    Do many wondrous things;
  He's built upon a wiser plan
    Than presidents or kings.
  He knows the ins and outs of each
    And every deep transaction;
  We look to him for theories,
    But look to ma for action.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

1:12 min read
164

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABXCXCDEDEXFGF HIHICDXD XAXAGJXJ CKCKXBXB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,276
Words 239
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 16, 8, 8, 8

Edgar Albert Guest

Edgar Albert Guest was a British-born American poet who was popular in the first half of the 20th century and became known as the People's Poet. His poems often had an inspirational and optimistic view of everyday life. more…

All Edgar Albert Guest poems | Edgar Albert Guest Books

1 fan

Discuss the poem Father with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Father" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/8395/father>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    17
    hours
    48
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which of these poets did not use capital letters in his works?
    A Robert Frost
    B Sylvia Plath
    C Robert Browning
    D E.E. Cummings