My Father's Love Letters

“My Father’s Love Letters” does not follow a prescribed form or meter, making it a free verse poem. Komunyakaa uses the flexibility of free verse to give the poem a musical quality, especially in terms of line length. The lines range from lengthy ones like Line 3, comprised of twelve syllables, to a mere four syllables in Line 24. Varying line lengths in this way lends a sense of control over the pacing of the poem and add emphasis to key details. For instance, note the variation in the following lines:

The gleam of a five-pound wedge

On the concrete floor

Pulled a sunset

Through the doorway of his toolshed (Lines 22-25).

In these lines, Komunyakaa creates a slower, more deliberate pace with the first two lines, culminating in the poem’s shortest line—“Pulled a sunset” (Line 24)—which makes the contrast with Line 25 more significant. In this way, Komunyakaa creates a cadence that makes up for the lack of a consistent form and meter with its own variable rhythm.