The Sunday Poem: “The Day My Father Believed Me” by J. Stephen Whitney

June 19th, 2026

The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work.

J. Stephen Whitney reads his poem at its conclusion.

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The Day My Father Believed Me
…..(Inspired by the album cover of Phantom Navigator by Wayne Shorter)

As the boat rises from the ocean
and hovers above the skyline,
the boy stands in the tide
as it goes back into the sea
to find the place
where the boat will drop
when he leaves the shore
A smokestack is mounted
on the deck of the boat
so it points to the moon
behind the clouds
scattered by the boy’s curiosity
before he came to the shore
The smoke from the smokestack connects the clouds
so they can rain on the surface
of the ocean and raise the water level
to the bottom of the boat
A propeller that could not breathe
once the boat rose from the ocean
drops from the bottom of the boat
The boy carries the propeller
to a place in the ocean
where boats grow tentacles
from their hulls and attach themselves
to the water so the water
can’t drift in and out
under the power of the golf-ball moon
driven to a point on the blue-web sky
by the heartbeat of the boy
as he told his father about the boat floating above the skyline
and his father finally believed him

Listen to J. Stephen Whitney read his poem

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Stephen Whitney is a Portland, Oregon writer who takes a strong approach to his creativity and has a genuine desire to write. His work has appeared in a wide variety of journals and anthologies. He looks to the spontaneity of jazz for creative inspiration.

Listen to the 1987 recording of saxophonist Wayne Shorter performing his composition “Flagships” [Columbia/Legacy]