Robert Hayden - "Those Winter Sundays"

Wow. I am used to Sundays being happy days because I get to sleep in before going to Mass. I see how lucky I am to have what I'm blessed with when I read this drab poem. I never fear "the chronic angers of that house." I can't imagine waking with the fear that my family will be angry and I may have to face difficult arguments. But then again, I do appreciate my dad more than the author did during his time. I don't speak "indifferently to him." If my dad gets up early to make a fire for us, I'm always sure to thank him. The author realizes later in his life how much his father did for him, and he feels sorry for the way he treated his father. I'm glad he's come to this realization, but it always seems to come too late. I hope that this poem sends a message to kids of all ages to appreciate all that their parents do for them and to thank them for it.