The Gift

For my poetry class this week I read the poem, "The Gift" by Li-Young Lee. It mentions the relationship between child and father. The author writes about a time his father removed a splinter from his hand. The description is pretty intimate on an emotional, mental, level. The poem reminds me of both my grandfather and father. Actually, I have had many splinters and teeth removed by them. The same method in the poem, is the exact same method they would use on me. Both of them would tell stories, or ask me questions to answers. My grandfather would sing in Spanish or recite small poems and jokes. These little things they did would help me deal with the pain. Often, I'd still have tears in my eyes, while they laughed to themselves holding a tooth or splinter, laughing because it was removed, yet I managed to not notice. The author writes about how these little memories, for him, have made him grow up. He states how he used the same technique with his wife. I think this is the gift the poem is titled after, the gift of being helpful, strong, gentle, caring, and how to be a man, which is something people believe is usually taught by the father.