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Fatherhood, Beginnings

Jason Tandon
Prairie Schooner, Vol. 86, No. 2 (Summer 2012)

Sometimes when I’ve been sitting in
a different room for a while
I forget I have a child.

Then I wander into the humidified air,
feel the softness of the blue rug
between my toes
and place my hand upon his rising chest.

What will I tell my son
when he asks if I am happy?
All summer I mowed the lawn like my father
in shorts and socks pulled taut to the knee.

I want to tell the girl across the street
to quit smoking,
to straighten her shoulders when she walks,
to stop shuffling her feet.