By Timothy Okurut
What changes when a father is absent from a child’s home? In I Wish I Had a Dad, the speaker imagines a different childhood—one filled with a father’s voice, school routines, evening bicycle rides and family guidance. However, reality tells another story. The speaker must work on the streets, while an older sister struggles through adolescence without the stability the speaker longs for. When she becomes pregnant at sixteen and the father of her baby disappears, the poem’s repeated wish becomes even more painful. It is a child’s reflection on fatherhood, absence, responsibility and the kind of home that might have been.
If I had a dad,
I would wake up to his voice,
smile and wait for his choice.
I would dress up Joyce,
pack her lunch
and run to school.
If I had a dad,
I would ride on my bike
in the evenings with Mike.
We would play soccer
and wait for that hawker
who sells milk to homes.
If I had a dad,
Sissy would report home early
and barely have boyfriends.
She would run and hide
at the sight of your ride,
because she’s not even ready
to call herself a bride!
Now I don’t have a dad.
You decide
to be good or bad.
You study on the ridge
of falling out.
The food you eat
is what you eat
because you can’t do without.
Sissy reports home so late.
At times,
she eats not of our plate.
She’s just sixteen,
but behaves as though
she were that lady
selling at the teen.
Daddy never saw her dress!
She’s dressed to impress
the lustful eyes of strangers.
Home is the best,
but our home
is not in the West!
I have to run
in the streets hawking,
just to silence
their talking.
I wish I had a dad
to walk in!
Sissy is now pregnant.
The moon
has finally set.
Wolves howl no more,
I bet.
The insistent quiet voices
have faded.
The man by whom
the baby was made
has run away!
She’s now here to stay!
For that is nature’s final act—
the cold touch
of bitter fact!
— Timothy Okurut
Tone, imagery, and poem structure are on point
The poem definitely carries and shares a strong message to the readers.
Power to the generation
This poem keeps me on some mood just
I love it
A dissection of the anatomy of reality.
Very deep and relatable. Beautiful poem. Well done!
I wish I had words to comfort you, but your poem said it all. I relate to this more than I want to admit. You are not alone in this feeling. Keep writing, your words heal others.
Touching
Big man himself
Nuff rispekt Sir Tim
Awwwwwh such a great art piece❤️
Love it☺️
Wow that’s beyond poetry, it’s reality. Everyone desires ‘s a dad.
SPEECHLESS..