28 Aug 2019: "Throwing Away the Alarm Clock" by Charles Bukowski

my father always said, "early to bed and
early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy
and wise."

it was lights out at 8 p.m. in our house
and we were up at dawn to the smell of
coffee, frying bacon and scrambled
eggs.

my father followed this general routine
for a lifetime and died young, broke,
and, I think, not too
wise.

taking note, I rejected his advice and it
became, for me, late to bed and late
to rise.

now, I'm not saying that I've conquered
the world but I've avoided
numberless early traffic jams, bypassed some
common pitfalls

and have met some strange, wonderful
people

one of whom
was
myself—someone my father
never
knew.

5 Jan 2019: "Little Father" By Li-Young Lee

I buried my father

in the sky.

Since then, the birds

clean and comb him every morning   

and pull the blanket up to his chin   

every night.

I buried my father underground.   

Since then, my ladders

only climb down,

and all the earth has become a house   

whose rooms are the hours, whose doors   

stand open at evening, receiving   

guest after guest.

Sometimes I see past them

to the tables spread for a wedding feast.

I buried my father in my heart.

Now he grows in me, my strange son,   

my little root who won’t drink milk,   

little pale foot sunk in unheard-of night,   

little clock spring newly wet

in the fire, little grape, parent to the future   

wine, a son the fruit of his own son,   

little father I ransom with my life.