Things I learned from my dad

You didn’t hand me boxes wrapped in bows,

Or silver trinkets bought upon a whim.

Instead, you took me where the river flows,

And taught me wealth is found in catching bream.

You gave the gift of a persistent mind—

To cast the line again, to watch, to wait.

To look beneath the surface and to find

That patience is its own rewarding state.

I became a treasure hunter of the human heart,

You taught me the value of a quiet space.

You taught me how to pull the world apart,

And to find the gold in every simple place.

The rush of water, and a bending reed,

The stillness of a humid afternoon—

You showed me that the only things we need

Are found beneath the sun and silver moon.

So I will let the others keep their fragile things,

Their fleeting goods that tarnish on the shelf.

I have the wealth that only nature brings,

And all the truths you taught me of myself.

Copyright © Deborah Seale | Year Posted 2026

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