Fathers

One of my favorite movies is Smoke Signals, a film based on the book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie (which is also awesome). At the end of this film, Thomas (Evan Adams) recites an adaptation of a poem by Dick Lourie called "Forgiving Our Fathers". It is one of the most powerful poems I have ever heard, and in honor of Father's Day, I share this adaptation with you. An important note when you watch this video, Victor is throwing the ashes of his father into the river...

How do we forgive our Fathers?
Maybe in a dream
Do we forgive our Fathers for leaving us too often or forever
when we were little?

Maybe for scaring us with unexpected rage
or making us nervous
because there never seemed to be any rage there at all.

Do we forgive our Fathers for marrying or not marrying our Mothers?
For Divorcing or not divorcing our Mothers?

And shall we forgive them for their excesses of warmth or coldness?
Shall we forgive them for pushing or leaning
for shutting doors
for speaking through walls
or never speaking
or never being silent?

Do we forgive our Fathers in our age or in theirs
or their deaths
saying it to them or not saying it?

If we forgive our Fathers what is left?