Photograph of My Father in His Twenty-Second Year - A poem by Raymond Carver

Raymond Carver - Photograph of My Father in His Twenty-Second Year

October.  Here in this dank, unfamiliar kitchen 
I study my father's embarrassed young man's face. 
Sheepish grin, he holds in one hand a string 
of spiny yellow perch, in the other 
a bottle of Carlsbad Beer. 

In jeans and denim shirt, he leans 
against the front fender of a 1934 Ford. 
He would like to pose bluff and hearty for his posterity, 
Wear his old hat cocked over his ear. 
All his life my father wanted to be bold. 

But the eyes give him away, and the hands 
that limply offer the string of dead perch 
and the bottle of beer.  Father, I love you, 
yet how can I say thank you, I who can't hold my liquor either, 
and don't even know the places to fish?

Added: on November 27th, 2005 at 11:10 PM | Viewed: 11889 times | Comments and analysis of Photograph of My Father in His Twenty-Second Year by Raymond Carver Comments (5)

Photograph of My Father in His Twenty-Second Year - Comments and Information
Poet: Raymond Carver Poem: Photograph of My Father in His Twenty-Second Year Poem of the Day: May 19 2006 Comment 5 of 5, added on March 30th, 2008 at 8:55 PM. i think it is just terrible when people over analyze. the author may or may not have switched from concrete to abstract on purpose. why do people feel the need to over analyze everything? you can't just accept the beauty (in life) as it is? Landon from United States Comment 4 of 5, added on March 12th, 2006 at 5:07 PM. Poet uses concrete words through out first and second stanzas, however uses the abstract word "love" at the end to emphasize the speaker's feeling towards his father. Jun from Korea, South Comment 3 of 5, added on November 27th, 2005 at 11:10 PM. I found this to be a very moving poem that captures the conflicting emotions that Raymond had, like most humans do, towards his father. He sees his own worse qualities reflected in this picture of his father yet his anger at this is softened by his father's obvious youth and vulnerability. He expresses his disappointment in, yet compassion and deep love for his parent. Like most of us he realises that our parents were just human, fumbling through like everyone else. kelly from Cuba More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Photograph of My Father in His Twenty-Second Year, has received 5 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Raymond Carver with others on the American Poems poetry forum!

Poem Info
Poet: Raymond Carver Poem: Photograph of My Father in His Twenty-Second Year Last read: May 9 2008, 10:52AM Poem of the Day: May 19 2006 Viewed 11889 times. Added on November 27th, 2005 at 11:10 PM.

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