Neat title (should be Dog's House) that gave no clue as to the content of the poem. I like when that happens.

Some thoughts as follows:

thoughts
flood my head
time went by so fast
did I understand
to pass-on what
I had learned
imparting to those
the importance
of hard work, honesty
and how to dedicate

(I'd start with:
time went by so fast
did I understand
what to pass on ..etc.)

the rest seemed a bit too demanding
and needed a softer touch until
I got to the end...

perfect!

smiles,

~A

the only gift I want
is respect from you
or for someone to say
your kids are truly
the epitome
of what a good child
should be

this is the desire

of any parent
well said Eddie

may your kids do you proud as you have expressed in this Dad's Day write...

I would comment on the poem Eddie, but there is so little of what I understand as poetry I fear I would simply sound foolish. Kailashana thought the poem was a little too demanding until the end. I think the opposite. A lot of sentiments about Father's Day are going to be floating around out there at all the poetry forums and most are going to be overblown sentimentality. I preferred the honest, open request from "dad" for what he really wants. A little respect and good kids.
wesley

I totally got it Wesley, but demanding that your kids be a certain way and then demanding respect for that demand is more often than not a recipe for ingratitude and willful *acting out* or its extreme: a shrinking violet.

That's a thing that is best left unsaid. Show your children unconditional love, be there in every way, especially after a *fall* and most likely a father will have *earned* respect and gratitude. And then again, no matter how great a father is, a child can grow up to be less than a father's *perfect* image.

Did anyone see the interview with Dahmer's father? Quite interesting.

~A

By the way Eddie, in light of your poem and my above takes on fathers, the ending of your poem,
was what I said was perfect. I know you know the way to your children's hearts.

Forgive me, Eddie... I was using your page/poem to clarify a slight differentiation that Wesley had with my viewpoint..... opposite ends on the same continuum, so to speak.

An authoritarian father vs a nurturing father, and I suspect that regardless of your religion as a young father and/or ethnicity, you are the later, Eddie.

~A

This is some good stuff. You have a lot of personality. Have you performed your poetry before?