Juneteenth and Father’s Day
Third week of June
A double celebration
Of fathers we know
And those liberated
Over a hundred years ago
On Juneteenth
Marking the end of slavery
When men were encouraged
To breed
And not be fathers
In the paternal sense
Of nurturing a child
A form of fatherhood
Not to be celebrated
But remembered
On Juneteenth
As inspirational for all
Denied reciprocal love
Between father and child
And aspirational in forging
That universal bond
Hence Juneteenth’s legacy
Coinciding with Father’s Day
Is not simply coincidental
But consequential
When honoring fathers
Past, present and absent.