In Lucille Clifton’s poem “forgiving my father”, the speaker depicts a broken and complex relationship between the daughter and her father. Again and again, she mentions the lack of regularity and positive family interactions that children are expected to receive. Clifton uses the simile, "all week you have stood in my dreams / like a ghost" (Clifton 3-4) to show the lack of a relationship the speaker has with her father. It seems as though he is merely a disappointing thought that floats around in her dreams and is not present with her in real life. I envision a older man with a cold and selfish persona that haunts the minds of his family. The topic of money is referenced several times in different forms throughout the poem. Furthermore, the daughter talks about bills needing to be paid, wishing her father was rich, bad bargains, and collecting. Recurring references of money help illustrate the daughter’s internal frustrations and concerns towards her father. 

At first, the daughter sides with her mother on her thoughts about their father. Both are experiencing similar hardships. Emotionally, there is an emptiness within them that is desperating searching to be filled. It appears they both have been investing in a false sense of hope their whole lives and are finally acknowledging it. However, towards the end of the poem the daughter acknowledges the mother’s fault in the situation saying “you were each other's bad bargain, not mine” (Clifton 19). Physically, the mother has passed away leaving the daughter poor and lonely. Although the mother and daughter had their differences, both lack the support of the father of the house.

It is no secret the father could not provide for his family. We see the daughter express her concerns with money. Her emotions are summed through the words, “my mother's hand opens in her early grave and I hold it out like a good daughter” (Clifton 6-7) to illustrate the financial burden she has and will continue to endure. Later in the poem, she reitterates this ongoing problem saying, “i wish you were rich so i could take it all and give the lady what she was due” (Clifton 10-11). Economically, the daughter finds herself empty handed and to say it plainly, disappointed. Her father never came through for the family even at the very end before he died. If I were in the shoes of the daughter, I would be greatly saddened and have a very difficult time ever forgiving my father. 

Another form of money Clifton refers to is time. The daughter mentions towards the beginning of the poem that the father asks for more time to provide for her which she quickly dismisses by sharpley saying, “there will never be time enough daddy daddy old lecher old liar” (Clifton 8-9). Personally, I believe being attentive and giving your effort and time to a loved one is more important for child’s development than sufficient funds. Time is money, and the father in this poem is lacking in both areas. 

With many emotions on display throughout this poem, the references to money accurately depict the relationship, or lack thereof, between the father and his daughter. The duty of a parent, especially the father, is to be a provider and protector for your family. Not only did the father not provide economically for his family, but his physical absence hurt his daughter immensely. Ultimately, the daughter concludes the poem by questioning herself and actually forgiving her sorry father. She intends to leave the past behind and focus on the future. 