35 Best Father's Day Poems That Celebrate Every Kind of Dad

"Yesterday, against admonishment,
my daughter balanced on the couch back,
fell and cut her mouth.

Because I saw it happen I knew
she was not hurt, and yet
a child's blood so red
it stops a father's heart.

My daughter cried her tears;
I held some ice
against her lip.
That was the end of it.

Round and round: bow and kiss.
I try to teach her caution;
she tries to teach me risk."

—Gregory Orr

"There in every memory
See his love and care
Strength and hands to count on
Freely he does share
Provider, toil so faithfully
To make our dreams come true
Give strong and tender discipline
Though it is hard to do
A Father is God's chosen one
To lead the family
And point it to His will for life
Of love and harmony…"

—Sue Keen

"Sunday mornings I would reach
high into his dark closet while standing
on a chair and tiptoeing reach
higher, touching, sometimes fumbling
the soft crowns and imagine
I was in a forest, wind hymning
through pines, where the musky scent
of rain clinging to damp earth was
his scent I loved, lingering on
bands, leather, and on the inner silk
crowns where I would smell his
hair and almost think I was being
held..."

—Mark Irwin

"A Father means so many things...
An understanding heart,
A source of strength and support
right from the very start."

—Anonymous

"When I was a baby,
you would hold me in your arms.
I felt the love and tenderness,
keeping me safe from harm.
I would look up into your eyes,
and all the love I would see.
How did I get so lucky?
You were the dad chosen for me."

—Christina M. Kerschen

"My father, my father,
I love he,
my father, my father,
made me see,
how beautiful this world really can be."

—Dakota Ellerton

"I remember his fists, the iron he pounded,
five-pound hammer ringing steel,
the frame he made for a sled that winter
before the war. I remember the rope in his fist
around my chest, his other fist
shoving the snow, and downhill we dived,
his boots by my boots on the tongue,
pines whishing by, ice in my eyes, blinking
and squealing."

—Walt McDonald

"The depth of a father's love shows in his daughter's eyes.
What's known is what's shown from sunset to sunrise.
A foundation built on more than just what is spoken.
It's commitments kept and promises that go unbroken.
An emotion so immense that nothing in this world can erase.
The permanent impression of love is tattooed upon her face.
A relation so peculiar that only the two can understand,
Yet so immaculate it's obvious that, by God, it was planned."

—Michelle W. Emerson

"Look at him there in his stovepipe hat,
His high-top shoes, and his handsome collar;
Only my Daddy could look like that..."

—William Jay Smith

"To me Dad, you're everything
I can not begin to say,
You've loved, cared, and looked out for me
You've made me who I am today.
Dad, you've always been understanding
and showered me with concern,
You're my knight in shining armor
You're my dad and best friend."

—Susan Smith

"I came hungry
into the world,
and for that,
look no further
than my Pa.
A history buff
and a small-p
poet, he built
so many book-shelves, our house
became the local
lending library.
At least to those few
who knew a book
to be a friend."

—J. Patrick Lewis

"At times I thought that you were
far too hard on me...
But now dad, I understand
why you had to be.

To become the man
you knew I could...
without your guidance
I never would.

With love and patience
you gave me insight...
You taught me respect
wrong and right.

Looking back to the start
where it all had begun...
Dad, I'm so proud
when you call me your son."

—Anonymous

"God once made a father
his best one of all
he was smart loving and determined
to come when his kids called

This father could be serious
he would sometimes get mad
but he was forgiving
when you did something bad

This father could be silly
he would tell many jokes
he could be quite annoying
when he gave tickles and pokes

God gave him to someone
but who could it be?
This very lucky person
turned out to be me."

—Abigail Stott

"You mean so very much to me,
And I want you to know
That you are always in my heart,
No matter where I go.

You're always giving, always there
To help in any way;
The loving things you've done for me,
I never could repay.

I can't imagine what I'd do
Without the love you give.
I'll treasure your sweet heart of gold
As long as I shall live."

—Anonymous

"A special father,
In my heart,
Is someone who,
Would never part.

A special father,
In my life,
Sits at the head of the table,
With a carving knife.

A special father,
I adore,
Is always there,
To keep the score.

A special father,
I must say,
Is you, my father,
In every way."

—Julie Hebert

"God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea...
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad."

—Unknown Author

"Those afternoons, the Saturdays of my tender childhood
in Mexico City
were just lovely.
It was the time when fathers
were one on one with their sons,
and took them to see friends, have an ice,
talk in the park, or to intriguing stores
from their youth."

—Jorge H. Aigla

"He never looks for praises
He's never one to boast
He just goes on quietly working
For those he loves the most."

—Karen K. Boyer

"Yet for part payment take this simple mite,
Where nothing's to be had, kings loose their right.
Such is my debt I may not say forgive,
But as I can, I'll pay it while I live."

—Anne Bradstreet

"I can remember my father bringing home spruce gum.
He worked in the woods and filled his pockets
with golden chunks of pitch.
For his children
he provided this special sacrament
and we'd gather at this feet, around his legs,
bumping his lunchbox, and his empty thermos rattled inside."

—Suzanne Rancourt