For(e)fathers
American President (1941) - FDR and the Four Freedoms
https://www.fdrlibrary.org/four-freedoms
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A measured reply by @DANdeLION_Page -->
1. Freedom of Speech
“The first is freedom
of expression everywhere...” -->
My dad made me wise
enough to say my piece when
words grow in my gut.
Wisdom lends freedom;
wield the tongue wisely and live
like words are water.
Creeks and rivers prize
the earth plains ground in passing
by and by again.
My dad always says
nothing’s harder to earn back
than trust once it’s lost.
Life and praise give rise
to thirsts that overcometh
like the rain washes.
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2. Freedom of Worship
“Second is freedom
of ev’ry person to [live
and praise their] own way...” -->
My mom’s husband once
said worst thing I got going
was preferring one
pew over another one;
“Make nature your church,”
he said then, smiling;
“Pray to the light of the moon,
for all I could care!”
He was daring me
to imagine where I might
find what I’s after.
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3. Freedom from Want
“The third is under
standings which will secure to
every [person] peace...” -->
My father-in-law
has green thumbs but never brags
about much at all;
self-prophessed gard’ner
and hobby ecologist;
met the man roadside
doing rounds on his guppies
in the popup trunk;
a way of life such
as shown by my then boyfriend’s
father was dashing;
I saw my life flash before
his son and I wed:
all we’d need was peace
enough to drive cross-country,
trunkful of guppies.
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4. Freedom from Fear
“Fourth is world-wide re
duction of armaments to
such a point and in
such a thorough fashion that
no[one] anywhere
will be in a position
to commit an act
of aggression against a
[nation or] neighbor.” -->
Why war when we know
it only leads to wanting
to turn the clock back?
We wished we would’ve
fixed the fight with words instead
of blowing stuff up.
What will guns do when
the might of climate change claims
the new horizons?
Ash to cash and dust
wrought shame unto our souls and
smithed our names in woe.
To such a time when
History justly reaches
so to beguile them:
Spare breath for more breath
for your lungs do the walking
as they did at dawn.
* * * * *
/ n o t a r e
An interesting challenge which finally prompted me to write the poems I wanted to give all my dad-persons for Father’s Day ~
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@DANdeLION_Page