30 Beautiful Father’s Day Poems to Share on His Special Day!

It’s hard to put into words how much Dad meant to our lives. To celebrate Father’s Day, we put together this sweet collection of 30 best Father’s Day poems that say “Happy Father’s Day” better than anything else.

You can write these lines on Father’s Day greetings or just read them out loud before opening gifts. These quotes about the link between a father and daughter will make your adult children love you even more. These moving Father’s Day quotes will help your child say things they can’t say in words. So, let’s look at 35 of the best poems to honor this special man in our lives with Loveable!

The Importance of Celebrating Fathers Through Poetry

Dads are so amazing, right? But how do you say “thanks, Dad” in a way that feels more special than a store-bought card? That’s where the magic of poetry comes in.

Think about it: poems are like tiny, heartfelt explosions. They take the messy jumble of emotions you feel for your dad and turn them into something beautiful and real. Here’s why putting your love for your Dad in a poem is awesome:

• It’s straight from the heart: Forget fancy words; this is about saying what you really feel. Dads can sniff out a phony card a mile away, but a poem that bubbles up from your own experiences? That’s pure gold.

• Memories become magic: Poems can capture those special moments, the bike rides with scraped knees, the late-night talks under the covers. They turn those experiences into little sparkling gems you can treasure forever.

• It’s a gift that keeps on giving: Unlike a new tie (which might end up in the back of the closet), a poem can be reread, memorized, and become a reminder of your love long after Father’s Day is over.

So grab a pen, raid the fridge for some inspiration (because, let’s be real, Dad jokes are practically a love language!), and let your poem flow.

35 Soul-Stirring Father’s Day Poems That Say It All!

1. Silent Strong Dad – Karen K. Boyer

“He never looks for praises

He’s never one to boast

He just goes on quietly working

For those he loves the most.”

2. Dear Dad – Unknown

“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.”

3. What Makes a Dad? – Unknown

“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.”

4. Only a Dad – Edgar Guest

“Only a dad but he gives his all

To smooth the way for his children small,

Doing with courage stern and grim,

The deeds that his father did for him.

This is the line that for him I pen:

Only a dad, but the best of men.”

5. Father’s Song – Gregory Orr

“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.”

6. My Father’s Kites – Allison Joseph

“Dry patch

of stony land before our house only he

could tend into beauty, thorny roses goaded

into color. How did he make those makeshift

diamonds rise, grab ahold of the wind to sail

into sky like nothing in our neighborhood

of dented cars and stolid brick houses could?”

7. Whose Mouth Do I Speak With – Suzanne Rancourt

“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.”

8. Dad – Susan 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.”

9. Those Winter Sundays – Robert Hayden

“Speaking indifferently to him,

who had driven out the cold

and polished my good shoes as well.

What did I know, what did I know

of love’s austere and lonely offices?”

10. A Special Father – Julie Hebert

“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.”

11. The Gift – Li-Young Lee

“Look how I shave her thumbnail down

so carefully she feels no pain.

Watch as I lift the splinter out.

I was seven when my father

took my hand like this…

I did what a child does

when he’s given something to keep.

I kissed my father.”

12. In Her Eyes – Michelle W. Emerson

“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 was 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.”

13. A Boy and His Dad – Edgar Guest

“A boy and his dad on a fishing trip—

There is a glorious fellowship!

Father and son and the open sky

And the white clouds lazily drifting by,

And the laughing stream as it runs along

With the clicking reel like a martial song,

And the father teaching the youngster gay

How to land a fish in the sportsman’s way.”

14. Special Hero – Christina M. Kerschen

“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.”

15. A Taste of Blue – Cynthia Manick

“He presses the mole on my shoulder

that matches his shoulder,

proof that I was not found

at the bottom of the sea…

There must be some

thread of magic there

cooling honey to stone—where

like recognizes like or how

a rib seeks its twin.”

16. I Thank You, Dad – Unknown

“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.”

17. Shoulders – Naomi Shihab Nye

“A man crosses the street in rain,

stepping gently, looking two times north and south,

because his son is asleep on his shoulder.

No car must splash him.

No car drive too near to his shadow.

This man carries the world’s most sensitive cargo.”

18. A Father Is – Sue Keen

“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…”

19. To Her Father with Some Verses – Anne Bradstreet

“Most truly honoured, and as truly dear,

If worth in me or ought I do appear,

Who can of right better demand the same

Than may your worthy self from whom it came?

The principal might yield a greater sum,

Yet handled ill, amounts but to this crumb;

My stock’s so small I know not how to pay,

My bond remains in force unto this day;

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;

Such is my bond, none can discharge but I,

Yet paying is not paid until I die.”

20. My Dad’s Hands – David Ketter

“They were rough, I remember, incredibly tough,

as strong as a carpenter’s vice.

But holding a scared little boy at night,

they seemed to me awfully nice!”

21. Father, Child, Water – J. Patrick Lewis

“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.”

22. My Father Moved Through Dooms of Love – E. E. Cummings

“My father moved through dooms of love

through sames of am through haves of give,

singing each morning out of each night

my father moved through depths of height.”

23. God Made a Father – Abigail Stott

“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.”

24. My Father. A Tree. – Tina Chang

“Father, I know you are here,

the only place you must be,

where the heavy branches

lean into bright air.”

25. My Father’s Hats – Mark Irwin

“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…”

26. Afternoons – Jorge H. Aigla

“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.”

27. My Papa’s Waltz – Theodore Roethke

“You beat time on my head

With a palm caked hard by dirt,

Then waltzed me off to bed

Still clinging to your shirt.”

28. My Father on His Shield – Walt McDonald

“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.”

29. Seize the Moment – Ron Tranmer

“How can this man with so much on his plate

Find good cause and reason to procrastinate?

It’s because he’s a man who is certainly wise.

A giant of a man in his dear family’s eyes.

A man who knows well his priorities,

And chooses the moments important to seize.

So where is this man with so much to be done?

He’s in the backyard playing catch with his son.”

30. My Father, My Friend – Peggy Stewart

“For my father, my friend,

This to me you have always been.

Through the good times and the bad,

Your understanding I have had.

A gentle man at heart,

This sets you apart

From the others I’ve seen.

You mean so much to me.

The laughter we have shared

Cannot be compared.

The tears I have shed,

As you lovingly nodded your head.

You have always been there,

With a smile and a hug,

A precious gift from our God up above.

The times that I have been down and sad,

Your silly ways could always make me glad.

You gave me strength to carry on,

Even when all hope seemed to be gone.

The lessons in life that I have learned

Are from your genuine love and concern.

With deep appreciation for all you have done.

You, Dad,

Are my number one.

With all my love, Your Daughter, Your Friend”

31. The Harp – Bruce Weigl

“When he was my age and I was already a boy

my father made a machine in the garage.

A wired piece of steel

with many small and beautiful welds

ground so smooth they resembled rows of pearls.”

32. Last Chance – Stefanie

“My heart aches, Dad,

For the things you won’t do.

My soul breaks, Dad,

For all that we’ve been through.

I fear it’s too late, Dad,

To mend my broken heart.

I’m so full of hate, Dad,

I don’t know where to start.

You took away my hope, Dad,

That I would ever be loved,

And now I’m left to cope, Dad,

As I watch you love your son.

I want to scream and yell, Dad,

But I fear my voice will crack.

I want so much to tell you, Dad,

That I can’t always take you back.

Please listen to my words, Dad,

For they are all that I can say.

I want you to treat me like I’m yours, Dad,

And not just throw me away.”

33. Daddy, I Love You – Laura Phipps

“You held me up when I was weak.

You hugged me close when tears I’d weep.

When things got hard, you pushed me through.

You always showed me you loved me true.

I know there were times I made you cry, and to this day,

I don’t know why.

For without you, where would I be?

I am thankful God gave you to me.

Thanks, Dad, for you are one in a million.”

34. My Dad – Vicky Frye 

“If I could write a story,

It would be the greatest ever told.

I’d write about my daddy,

For he had a heart of gold.

My dad, he was no hero

Known around this world.

He was everything to me,

For I was his baby girl.

I’d write about the lessons.

He taught me right from wrong.

He instilled in me the values

That one day I’d be strong.

He taught me to face my fears,

Take each day as it comes,

For there are things that we can’t change.

He would say what’s done is done.

He would say hold your head up high,

Carry yourself with pride.

Thanks to him, I am somebody,

I will never run and hide.

If I could write a story,

It would be the greatest ever told.

I’d write about my daddy,

For he had a heart of gold.”

35. Dressing My Daughters – Mark Jarman

“One girl a full head taller

Then the other—into their Sunday dresses.

First, the slip, hardly a piece of fabric,

Softly stitched and printed with a bud.

I’m not their mother, and tangle, then untangle

The whole cloth—on backward, have to grab it

Round their necks. But they know how to pull

Arms in, a reflex of being dressed,

And also, a child’s faith.”

How to Choose the Right Poem for Your Father

You should think about both your dad’s attitude and your emotions with him when picking out the right poem for him. Here are some ideas to help you pick a poem that your dad will like:

1. Know Your Father’s Personality

You should take some time to think about your dad’s hobbies, beliefs, and attitude. Does he have a serious side and value sincere acts of kindness, or does he have a more fun and playful side? Figuring out what kind of person he is will help you choose a poem that fits his tastes.

2. Consider Your Relationship

Reflect on the bond you share with your father. Are you close and open with each other, or do you have a more reserved relationship? Your chosen poem should reflect the depth of your connection and the emotions you want to convey.

3. Match the Tone to the Occasion

The occasion for giving the poem also plays a significant role in your selection. You may opt for more reflective or nostalgic poems that honor his life journey for milestones like retirement or anniversaries.

4. Personalize Pre-Written Poems

Find ways to make a pre-written poem your own if you choose to use one. Add lines at the beginning or end that are directly addressed to your dad, or use memories and experiences specific to your bond with him.

5. Trust Your Instincts

Finally, go with your gut and pick a poem that strikes a chord with you and seems right for your dad. If you want to write a poem or a great work of literature for your dad, the most important thing is that it comes from the heart and shows how much you love and appreciate him.

Writing Your Own Poem for Your Father: Your Step-by-Step Guide

Writing a personalized poem for your father is a beautiful way to express your love and appreciation for him. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you craft a heartfelt and meaningful poem:

1. Reflect: You should think about your relationship with your father and what makes him special to you.

2. Choose Form: Decide on a poetic style that suits your message, like free verse or rhyming couplets.

3. Set Tone: Figure out if your song will be funny, sad, or a mix of the two.

4. Brainstorm: As you think about your dad, write down your thoughts and feelings.

5. Outline: Sketch out the structure of your poem.

6. Write: Let your emotions guide your pen as you express love, gratitude, and admiration.

7. Use Imagery: Paint a vivid picture with descriptive language.

8. Edit: Review and revise your poem for clarity and impact.

9. Seek Feedback: Have someone you trust give you their opinion. (Just in case)

10. Finalize: Make any last adjustments and prepare to share your heartfelt words with your dad.

Very simple, right? With just a few basic steps, you will have a personal online poem to dedicate to your father! 

Sharing Your Poem with Your Father

Now that you’ve chosen or written the perfect poem for your dad, it’s time to share it with him in a memorable way. Here are some creative ideas for presenting your poem and making the moment even more special.

Creative ideas for presenting your poem

• Frame your poem and present it as a keepsake gift.

• You can write your poem on a beautiful card and pair it with a thoughtful gift.

• Include your poem in a notebook or picture album.

• Record yourself reciting the poem and share the video with your dad.

The impact of reading your poem aloud vs. giving it as a written gift

Reading your poem aloud adds a personal touch and allows you to convey emotions through your voice. However, giving it as a written gift also holds significance, as your dad can revisit and cherish your words whenever he likes.

Suggestions for accompanying gifts that complement your poem

You might want to give a gift along with your writing that goes with its message. If you want to give your dad a gift that fits his likes and dislikes, you can choose something personal for him. It can be a gift of material or spiritual value, such as a favorite book or an activity that the two of you can do together.

To Say Last Words,

Your father may not be as loving and close to you as your mom was, but he is the one who keeps the family safe when life gets rough. These Father’s Day poems that Loveable offered should help you show him how much you love and care for him. Wishing you and your family a very special Father’s Day. Don’t forget to follow Loveable to read more useful articles!

Resources

For more poems for fathers, you can check out the following websites and books:

• Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org)

• PoemHunter (www.poemhunter.com)

Tools and apps for writing and designing poem cards:

• Canva (www.canva.com)

• Poet Assistant (available on App Store and Google Play)

• Power Poetry (www.powerpoetry.org)