The Father’s Eye

God the Father and Angel (1620) by Guercino

A viper coiled in the brush,

Hidden by thorny view,

And there beside, wet with dew,

Berries red with poison’s flush.

I see these all,

And still more I spot.

But my son cannot,

So his hand I stall.

I see them now

Because you saw them then,

For only boys saved by men

Live to learn how.

The viper, thorn, and berry

Shall outlive you and I

But the father’s eye

One cannot bury.

Dedication: To my father and his watchful eye.