Processing My Son's Graduation from High School...in Poetic Verse
- Allan Shedlin
- Jun 3
- 3 min read
Guest Poetry by Hakim Bellamy, Esq.
Inaugural Poet Laureate - Albuquerque, NM, and D3F DADvisor
EDITOR'S NOTE: Today's guest poetry echoes the daddy pride of last week's blog post by Dr. Anthony Fleg, another of our long-time DADvisors. It is a reminder how blessed we are to have such tender DADvisors willing to express their feelings. It's also a reminder for all of us to let loved ones know we're proud of them often, throughout their days/years, and not just at milestone moments. Daddy on. – Allan
Father Fissures
"A fissure in the brain is a deep groove or cleft in the cerebral cortex. These folds act as essential anatomical landmarks that divide the brain into distinct hemispheres and lobes, while significantly increasing its surface area so more neurons can fit inside the skull."
– Queensland Brain Institute
There is no shortage
of unsolicited euphemistic advice
on what to expect
when expecting
your first born.
All the things you don’t know
but are expected to know
and, somehow,
will instinctively know
when it is time.
All the things
you are supposed to believe,
yet are unsure how to achieve.
Like ensuring
that your child
is a better you.
And if not better,
at least better off.
When another parent
inevitably describes
the sensation of parenthood
"as if your whole entire heart were to exist
separate from you, elsewhere in the world
outside of your body."
You will, somehow,
understand completely.
However,
on the occasion
of my first born's high school graduation
I wish to solicit
the unsaid.
There are no second chance childhoods.
We only get the one we survive
and the one we provide.
Even if all the green and white
of both our Senior Highs
read like an optical déjà vu.
But it is more the sensation
of remapping a second brain.
A brain that exists separate from you,
elsewhere in the world
outside of your body.
Your "little monster."
once a science project,
now one step closer
to earning their masters
in how to deal
with you.
Just out there
in the world
wearing a big ol' brain
that you helped build.
A brain
that will teach you lessons about yourself.
A brain
that will make you question everything.
Including yourself.
A brain
unlike yours
that will preserve an accurate memory of you
long after you are gone.
Not as forgiving as the heart
but way more flexible
and less likely to break.
But best
to water regularly
and feed lots of sunlight
nonetheless.
© Hakim Bellamy, May 27, 2026
Daddying Film Festival & Forum 2027
Fathers' Day, June 21, 2026
Save the Dates: The 6th annual, virtual Daddying Film Festival will take place on Eventive, January 11-20, 2027, and our LIVE Daddying Film Forum will screen Atticus Award winners and finalists, January 29-30, 2027! Start planning your submissions now for the D3F 2027 Call for Entries, which opens this Fathers' Day, June 21st. More D3F news to come!
When not renowned as "Kaylem and Max's Dad," Hakim Bellamy is the inaugural poet laureate of Albuquerque (2012-2014). Bellamy recently served as the Deputy Director for the City of Albuquerque Department of Arts & Culture (2018-2022). He is a national and regional Poetry Slam Champion who holds three consecutive collegiate poetry slam titles at the University of New Mexico. He is the author of eight books including the children’s book, Samuel’s Story (Community Publishing 2015), a multimedia story set to music, as well as his award-winning poetry collection SWEAR (West End Press/UNM Press). He is the co-creator of the multimedia Hip Hop theater production Urban Verbs: Hip-Hop Conservatory & Theater, which has been staged throughout the country. A Kennedy Citizen Artist Fellow, he has facilitated youth writing workshops for schools, jails, churches, prisons and community organizations in New Mexico and beyond. His work has been featured on AlterNet, Truthout, CounterPunch, and the nationally syndicated Tavis Smiley Radio Show. He currently serves as the Board President for the One Albuquerque Fund and as a Western States Arts Federation Trustee. He holds an M.A. in Communications from UNM, a JD from the UNM School of Law, and is the founding president of Beyond Poetry LLC.
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