Robert Hayden’s Those Winter Sundays and Lucille Clifton’s forgiving my father are both saddening, non-fiction poems that express the feelings they had toward their fathers from their childhood. Hayden’s poems about the regret he has from his childhood that he never thanked his dad enough for what he did for him. The poem reflects on all that work that Hayden’s father put in for him to have a good life that young kids often overlook and do not appreciate until they themselves are adults and must live on their own. Clifton’s work reflects on all the bad times she had in her childhood because of the lack of income in her father’s life. The poem talks about how she has held a grudge her whole life towards him; until, she goes to his funeral where she finally realizes it is time to forget her hatred for him and to forgive him. Although the poems both talk about different types of experiences during their childhood, each one ends with them appreciating their fathers for who they were and understanding the role they played in their lives. These two poems emphasize the importance of appreciating one’s father and realizing that no matter what happens one will always love their parents.

The poems reflect the genre of non-fiction because the pomes are an overview of true situations that occurred in their lives. The poem talks about real financial problems that the author’s fathers had to deal with during their childhood. However, this type of non-fiction is different from normal non-fiction because of the lack of direct facts the authors present. Instead, the author’s make their stories a little more vague which allows for more interpretation on the reader’s behalf, and forces the reader to think deeper into each line. “All week you have stood in my dreams like a ghost, asking for more time but today is payday.” (Clifton, Line 4-5). Instead of simply putting that her father kept putting off paying the rent, she makes it the text more ambiguous which makes the audience read between the lines. Both poems focus on one person throughout the entire work. Hayden and Clifton both talk about the role their father played in their young lives because they were the financial supporters of the family’s. In the poems, the fathers are supposed to be seen as the hero’s because they are the only people that the both Hayden and Clifton had in their lives. “My mother’s hand opens in her early grave and I hold it out like a good daughter,” (Clifton, Line 7-8). In Clifton’s case, her father is the direct family person she had left in her life. Her mother died early and could not help her father with the financial troubles, but she knows her mother is turning in her grave knowing that her family is struggling without her. Furthermore, although Hayden never talks about his mother not being around, “cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze” demonstrates that his father was the financial supporter in his life. (Hayden, 3-4).  

Although both poems share the similarities that they both talk about financial situations in their lives and the role their fathers played during these times, the outcome for both authors is quite different. Both fathers handled the situations very differently which led to very different impacts on their child’s life. For Hayden, his father did everything he possibly could to give him good life. “What did I know of love’s austere and lonely offices,” (Hayden, 13-14). Hayden explains that he never understood all the hard work and energy his father put in at the office for him. Those Winter Sundays whole purpose is to thank his father for everything he did for him in his childhood. Hayden knows he was not as appreciative as he should have been as a child and that he will never be able to thank his father enough. This thankfulness differs from forgiving my father because this focuses more on all the wrong doing from Clifton’s father. Unlike Hayden’s father, Clifton’s was not as much of a hero to her. Clifton’s poem is all about how her father kept pushing back the deadlines of the bills, but still could not make enough money. Her father had no money to give when bills were due and therefore forced his daughter to live a poor life. “You are the pocket that was going to open and come up empty any Friday,” (Clifton, 14-15). No matter how much money he would have at the beginning of the week, by the time bills were supposed to be payed it was a guarantee that he would not have any money left. The purpose of the poem is too explain how she is tired of hating him and that she has finally forgiven him because at the end of the day he is still her father and loves him. 

Overall, both Hayden and Clifton’s poems explain the importance that one’s father can be in their life and how each parent handle situations differently. However, at the end of the day, they are still one of your parents and one is going to love them no matter the type of person they are. These poems emphasize the role money plays in one’s childhood and that being financially responsible creates a better childhood for one’s children. Although these are both non-fiction poems based on event in the events in the authors life, they both use vague words to force the reader to read deeper into the lines and understand the feelings the authors have for their fathers. 
