On Writing "Dear Father,"

Abstract: "Dear Father" is a reflective poem exploring the intersections of devotion, desire, and girlhood through religious imagery. The poem delves into personal obsessions with religion and longing, using the prayer format to honor and interrogate these themes. It shifts from meditations on female religious figures and their sacrifices to a dynamic power exchange, ultimately asserting that even in submission, a woman can wield power—a god-like agency.