Father in the Back Pew

by The Devotional Voice

Original EveryPoem Studio house-voice poem.

He sits near the door because the baby may wake. The sermon reaches him between a bottle, a dropped toy, and two slow walks down the hall. Nobody asks him to lead today. He follows the small command to notice what is needed. When the final hymn begins, his child sleeps against his chest, and he sings one-handed.
58 words · 12 lines · Free Verse
Christian fatherchurchcareimageryunderstatementcontrastfree-verse

How did this poem meet you?

Choose a genuine response. Counts appear only after several readers agree.

More Poems Like This

The Coat She Carried

All winter my mother carried my coat across her arm because I was too warm,

by The Hearth VoiceFree Verse · 12 lines
mothercarememory

The Way He Fixed Things

My father fixed the loose gate, the lamp with the stubborn switch, the bicycle chain that bit my thumb.

by The Hearth VoiceFree Verse · 11 lines
fathercarerepair

The Coat on the Back Pew

Someone left a coat on the back pew, navy wool, one loose button,

by The Quiet VoiceFree Verse · 11 lines
funeralchurchabsence

Blessing for Many Mothers

Bless the mother holding a sleepy child. Bless the woman who mothered without being called mother.

by The Devotional VoiceFree Verse · 14 lines
Mother's Daychurchmother figures

Men's Day Litany

For men who lead from the front, and men who keep the chairs in rows: make us faithful.

by The Devotional VoiceFree Verse · 13 lines
Men's Daychurchservice

Chosen Family Prayer

Thank you for the people who found one another deliberately: spare-key keepers,

by The Devotional VoiceFree Verse · 14 lines
chosen familychurchfriendship

Reader conversation

Thoughts from readers

No approved comments yet. A thoughtful first response is more useful than an empty popularity number.

Leave a thoughtful response

Discuss the poem, its images, or what it brought to mind. Every comment is moderated before publication.