"Shifting the Sun"

Reading through "Good Poems," an anthology selected and compiled by Garrison Keillor, I came across this poem a couple years ago.  It is about fathers.  I have several friends whose fathers left this world well before their time, and it always make me think of them.  Of course no father is perfect, but there are those special men who seem to grow into legend due to their warmth, humor, and ability to love. This goes out to Mark Kagi, Bill Robertson, Bill Ford, and Barnett Newman, and to all those fathers whose spirit continues to light the way for their sons and daughters.

Shifting the Sun

by Diana Der-Hovanessian

When your father dies, say the Irish,

you lose your umbrella against bad weather.

May his sun be your light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Welsh,

you sink a foot deeper into the earth.

May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Canadians,

your run out of excuses. May you inherit

his sun, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the French,

you become your own father.

May you stand up in his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Indians,

he comes back as the thunder.

May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Russians,

he takes your childhood with him.

May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the English,

you join his club you vowed you wouldn't.

May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Armenians,

you sun shifts forever.

And you walk in his light.