In reaction to my post of Saturday, my friend Colleen sent me this poem by Diana Der-Hovanessian, titled Shifting the Sun. It has been a busy couple of days in New York (I fly back to the Twin Cities this morning), so it took me a while to get to her e-mail. Even though Father’s Day has past, I thought it worth sharing for all of us whose dads have died.
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,
you 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,
your sun shifts forever.
And you walk in his light.
Creo en Dios! 