Daniel Beaty is an award-winning actor, singer, writer, and poet. He is known for incorporating music, movement, and words in his productions. In this poem, Daniel Beaty explores the relationship between a father and son, and how the son is impacted by his father.

Question

As a boy I shared a game with my father.

Played it every morning ‘til I was 3.
He would knock knock on my door
and I’d pretend to be asleep
‘til he got right next to the bed.
Then I would get up and jump into his arms.
“Good morning, Papa.”
And my papa he would tell me that he loved
me.
We shared a game.
Knock Knock.

Until that day when the knock never came
and my momma takes me on a ride past corn
fields
on this never ending highway ‘til we reach a place of high
rusty gates.
A confused little boy,
I entered the building carried in my mama’s arms.
Knock Knock.
We reach a room of windows and brown faces.
Behind one of the windows sits my father.
I jump out of my mama’s arms
and run joyously towards my papa's
only to be confronted by this window.
I knock knock trying to break through the glass,
trying to get to my father.
I knock knock as my mama pulls me away
before my papa even says a word.
And for years he has never said a word.
And so twenty-five years later, I write these words
for the little boy in me who still awaits his papa’s knock.

Papa, come home cause I miss you.
I miss you waking me up in the morning and telling me you love me.
Papa, come home, cause there’s things I don’t know
and I thought maybe you could teach me:
how to shave;
how to dribble a ball;
how to talk to a lady;
how to walk like a man.
Papa, come home because I decided a while back
I wanted to be just like you.
But I’m forgetting who you are.
And twenty-five years later a little boy cries,
and so I write these words and try to heal
and try to father myself
and I dream up a father who says the words my father did not.

Dear Son,
I’m sorry I never came home.
For every lesson I failed to teach, hear these words:
Shave in one direction in strong deliberate strokes to avoid irritation.
Dribble the page with the brilliance of your ballpoint pen.
Walk like a god and your goddess will come to you.
No longer will I be there to knock on your door.
So you must learn to knock for yourself.
Knock knock down doors of racism and poverty that I could not.
Knock knock down doors of opportunity
for the lost brilliance of the black men who crowd these cells.
Knock knock with diligence for the sake of your children.
Knock knock for me for as long as you are free,
these prison gates cannot contain my spirit.
The best of me still lives in you.
Knock knock with the knowledge that you are my son, but you are not my choices.
Yes, we are our fathers’ sons and daughters,
but we are not their choices.
For despite their absences we are still here,
still alive, still breathing,
with the power to change this world,
one little boy and girl at a time.
Knock knock
Who’s there?
We are.

Answer 1

Daniel Beaty's poem powerfully captures the complex emotions surrounding a father-son relationship marked by absence and longing. Through the poetic device of the "knock knock" game, Beaty juxtaposes the innocence of childhood with the painful realities of growing up without a father figure present.

The narrative begins with joyful memories, showcasing a loving bond between the young boy and his father, filled with warmth and affection. This sense of safety and love is abruptly shattered when the father is absent from the boy's life. The imagery of the "high rusty gates" and the "room of windows and brown faces" creates a stark setting that represents the barriers and systemic challenges that can separate families. The boy's attempts to reach his father—knocking on the glass in vain—symbolize the desperate longing for connection that persists even years later.

As the poem transitions to the voice of the father, it becomes a poignant letter filled with regrets. The father recognizes his failures and attempts to impart wisdom to his son, offering life lessons that transcend his physical absence. The father’s voice also encourages resilience and empowerment, urging the son to “knock down doors” and seize opportunities that were denied to him.

Ultimately, Beaty emphasizes that despite the weight of their fathers' choices and the pains of absence, the younger generation possesses the strength to redefine their narratives. The concluding lines—“we are our fathers’ sons and daughters, but we are not their choices”—serve as a powerful mantra of self-assertion and hope, suggesting that while the past may influence them, it does not dictate their future.

The poem resonates with themes of love, loss, resilience, and the potential for healing and growth, making it a compelling piece of art that speaks to the complexities of familial relationships, especially within the context of systemic challenges faced by Black fathers and sons.