“Fatherhood” by Nicholas Trandahl

Higher up

the glacier-hewn valley,

she fishes for cutthroat.

I watch from a boulder.

An elk’s faint hymn

cascades like meltwater

from Pan’s lofty ramparts.

We share almond butter,

talk of other lakes—

higher lakes where I

will one day take her,

places I will hand to her

like consecrated waters,

and I will tell her,

These are yours now.

But not today—

not today.

Storm clouds gather

over summits and snowfields.

Alpine rain forces us

back down to the creek.

We cross the cold current

from one realm to another,

descend the stone path

out of the wilderness,

into wild lupine meadows,

to dirt roads

descending

toward home.

About Nicholas Trandahl
He/Him/His

Nicholas Trandahl is a U.S. Army veteran, poet, newspaper journalist, and outdoorsman. He lives in northern Wyoming with his wife and daughters. He was the recipient of the 2019 Wyoming Writers Milestone Award and was nominated for the 2021 Pushcart Prize. He is the author of four collections of poetry and his work has appeared in various anthologies and literary journals.