18 Father's Day Poems That'll Make You & Your Dad Tear Up

This Sunday, June 19, is Father’s Day (which means if you haven’t gotten a gift yet, you should probably get to it!). Sometimes though, figuring out what to write in your Father’s Day card is even more difficult than picking out your dad’s gift. After all, you’re pretty much positive your dad will enjoy that tool kit or cookbook you bought. But how can you express your thanks for the decades of love, life lessons, and ridiculous dad jokes? Father’s Day poems are always a meaningful way to express your love and gratitude, but not everyone is gifted with Shakespearean talent. If you can’t find the words, try using one of these sentimental poems for Dad in your card. From the nostalgic to the lighthearted, these Dad poems will say it all for you.

1. “Dad” — Karen K. Boyer

“He never looks for praises / He's never one to boast / He just goes on quietly working / For those he loves the most / His dreams are seldom spoken / His wants are very few / And most of the time his worries / Will go unspoken too / He's there... A firm foundation / Through all our storms of life A sturdy hand to hold to / In times of stress and strife / A true friend we can turn to / When times are good or bad / One of our greatest blessings, / The man that we call Dad.”

2. “In Her Eyes”— Michelle W. Emerson

"The depth of a father's love shows in his daughter's eyes / What's known is what's shown from sunset to sunrise / A foundation built on more than just what is spoken / It's commitments kept and promises that go unbroken / An emotion so immense that nothing in this world can erase / The permanent impression of love is tattooed upon her face / A relation so peculiar that only the two can understand / Yet so immaculate it's obvious that, by God, it was planned."

3. “A Father Is” — Sue Skeen

“There in every memory / See his love and care / Strength and hands to count on / Freely he does share / Provider, toil so faithfully / To make our dreams come true / Give strong and tender discipline / Though it is hard to do / A Father is God’s chosen one / To lead the family / And point it to His will for life / Of love and harmony…”

4. “Father's Day Prayer of Remembering” — Unknown

"Fatherly love brings wealth to living / Remembering this we go forth in giving / Fathers young, fathers old / We remember you all / As life unfolds."

5. “Star Dad” — Karl Fuchs

"I love you, Dad, and want you to know / I feel your love wherever I go / Whenever I've problems, you're there to assist / The ways you have helped me would make quite a list / Your wisdom and knowledge have shown me the way / And I'm thankful for you as I live day by day / I don't tell you enough how important you are / In my universe you're a bright shining star."

6. “I Love You Dad” — 365 Greetings

“Your arms are my shelter / Assuring me that it will be better / Your hand is my comfort / Lifting me up when I fall short. / Your voice makes me strong / Teaching me what’s right and wrong / Your smile says it all / Father, I love you more than all.”

7. “Special Hero” — Christina M. Kerschen

"When I was a baby / you would hold me in your arms / I felt the love and tenderness / keeping me safe from harm / I would look up into your eyes / and all the love I would see / How did I get so lucky / you were the dad chosen for me / There is something special / about a father's love / Seems it was sent to me / from someplace up above / Our love is everlasting / I just wanted you to know / That you're my special hero / and I wanted to tell you so."

8. “To Her Father with Some Verses” — Anne Bradstreet

“Most truly honoured / And as truly dear / If worth in me or ought I do appear / Who can of right better demand the same / Than may your worthy self / From whom it came?”

9. “A Father Means” — Unknown

"A Father means so many things / An understanding heart / A source of strength and of support / Right from the very start. / A constant readiness to help / In a kind and thoughtful way. / With encouragement and forgiveness / No matter what comes your way. / A special generosity and always affection, too / A Father means so many things / When he's a man like you..."

10. “Only A Dad” — Edgar Guest

“Only a dad, with a tired face, / Coming home from the daily race, / Bringing little of gold or fame, / To show how well he has played the game, / But glad in his heart that his own rejoice / To see him come, and to hear his voice.”

11. “My Father, My Father...” — Dakota Ellerton

“My father / My father / Made me see / How beautiful this world can really be.”

12. “Dad” — Susan Smith

“To me dad, you’re everything / I can not begin to say, / You’ve loved, cared and looked out for me / You’ve made me who I am today. / Dad, you’ve always been understanding / and showered me with concern, / You’re my knight in shining armour / You’re my dad and best friend.”

13. “Father” — Ella Wheeler Wilcox

“There seemed to be a loving little prayer / In their voices, even when they called him ‘Dad’ / Though the man was never heard of anywhere / As a hero, yet somehow understood / He was doing well his part and making good / And you knew it, by the way his children had / Of saying ‘Father.’”

14. “As We Look Back” — Clare Jones

“As we look back over time / We find ourselves wondering / Did we remember to thank you enough / For all you have done for us? / For all the times you were by our sides / To help and support us ... To celebrate our successes / To understand our problems / And accept our defeats? / Or for teaching us by your example / The value of hard work, good judgment / Courage and integrity?”

15. “Daughter’s Hero’’ — Unknown

“A dad is / his daughter’s first hero, / The man she admires / from the start. / And whether she’s small / or completely grown up / He has a warm place / in her heart.”

16. “Fathers Can Be Solitary Mountains” — Unknown

“Fathers can be solitary mountains, / All their love rock-like, steep, and strong. / Though warm and caring, somehow they belong / Halfway home to mothers' bubbling fountains. / Each of us needs love that knows no quarter, / Reminding us of bonds that cross a border, / Strengthening our sense of right and wrong.”

17. “Fathers Are Wonderful People” — Helen Steiner Rice

“Fathers are wonderful people / So little understood, / And we do not sing their praises / as often as we should…”

18. “My Darling Dad” — Allison Carol

“His voice so soft / His eyes so bright / His words of wisdom / in my ear at night / He keeps me safe / In loving arms / As if he knows / the world means harm / I love him now / As I always have / He loves me too / My darling Dad.”