Zoey: The Daughter Who Anchors and Transforms

Overview

In Rudy Francisco’s poetry collection I’ll Fly Away, Zoey is the speaker’s young daughter. She appears in only a few poems, yet she reshapes the speaker’s entire emotional landscape. Zoey is not a character with her own voice or actions—she is primarily seen through the speaker’s eyes, as a presence that alters his perception of the world, his identity, and his choices. She represents love that is both grounding and freeing, a bond strong enough to override anger and despair. Through Zoey, Francisco explores themes of fatherhood, legacy, memory, and the daily miracle of caring for someone small.

Zoey’s role is that of a catalyst. She does not drive the plot—the collection has no linear narrative—but she drives the speaker’s emotional and moral growth. She is the reason he learns to choose restraint over violence, to measure the world in human terms, and to keep going when depression threatens to drown him.

Plot Role

Zoey appears in four key poems: “Unsolicited Advice,” “I say black fatherhood,” “Zoey,” and is referenced in “Drowning Fish.” She is the center of the speaker’s transformation from a man struggling to raise himself into a father who finds strength in vulnerability.

In “Unsolicited Advice”, the speaker addresses a man about to become a father—himself. He gives step‑by‑step guidance through the birth of Zoey, emphasizing calm, presence, and emotional openness. The poem imagines the moment Zoey is born: the speaker must “cut the umbilical cord, / and hold her in [his] arms.” The advice redefines strength as the ability to stay conscious and sing Bob Marley rather than panic. Zoey’s birth is a threshold: the speaker enters a new kind of family, one where he must hug her brother, shake her father’s hand, and hug her mother “like she is your own.” Zoey is the reason this expanded family exists.

In “I say black fatherhood”, a privileged man jokes that “black fatherhood” is an oxymoron. The speaker’s anger rises like a gasoline stove, but he whispers Zoey’s name twice. The name acts as “two ice cubes” that cool his boiling rage. Zoey prevents him from swinging a fist. Her name is a tool of self‑control, a reminder of the love that outweighs the insult. This poem directly shows Zoey’s plot role as a brake on violence and a redefinition of masculinity.

In “Zoey”, the speaker reflects on how his understanding of the world has shrunk to match Zoey’s size: “3 feet tall, 16 pounds.” Four years ago he would have guessed the world’s circumference at 30,000 miles. Now he says it is “so small, you can pick it up / with your hands.” Zoey transforms factual knowledge into intimate, relational knowing. She becomes the entire universe in microcosm.

In “Drowning Fish”, the speaker confesses his depression and his uncertainty about being a good father: “My daughter is 3‑years‑old, and I’m still / not sure if I’m a good father.” Zoey is the reason he must keep breathing. He promises himself he will not be “another drowning fish,” and he channels his panic into repeating “it’s going to be ok.” Zoey’s existence makes the speaker’s survival necessary.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Zoey herself has no direct actions in the collection; she is an infant and toddler. Her motivations are inferred: she is dependent, needing care and love. Her traits are revealed through the speaker’s responses to her. For example:

Her name is powerful. When spoken, it stops the speaker from violence in “I say black fatherhood.” This suggests Zoey embodies a purity or a future that the speaker must protect. His love for her overrides his temper.
Her smallness redefines the world. In “Zoey,” her physical dimensions become the speaker’s new metric for the world’s size. This shows that her presence makes the abstract concrete, and large problems shrink next to her.
Her birth requires presence. In “Unsolicited Advice,” Zoey’s entry into the world forces the speaker to stay conscious, cut the cord, hold her, and sing. These actions show that fatherhood demands emotional steadiness.
She is a reason to live. In “Drowning Fish,” Zoey is linked to the speaker’s struggle with depression. He thinks of her as he decides to keep going. She motivates his resilience.

Chronological Arc

Zoey’s timeline within the collection is not strictly sequential, but we can piece together a rough arc:

Before birth – “Unsolicited Advice” describes the phone call, the drive, the hospital. Zoey is about to be born. The speaker is anxious but determined to be present.
Infancy/early toddlerhood – “Drowning Fish” mentions Zoey is three years old. The speaker is in the depths of depression but holds onto her as a reason to survive.
Four years old – “Zoey” gives her age as four (the poem says “4 years ago” and then now). She is three feet tall, sixteen pounds. The speaker’s perspective has shifted dramatically.
At some point after her birth – “I say black fatherhood” takes place when Zoey is already alive (the speaker uses her name). The incident could be anywhere after she is born; it shows the ongoing challenge of being a Black father in a world that stereotypes him.

The arc shows a man who moves from fear and uncertainty at the moment of birth to a parenting role that includes both love and struggle. Zoey grows from a newborn to a small child, and the speaker grows into his identity as a father.

Relationships

The primary relationship is between Zoey and the speaker, her father. It is a bond of deep love and responsibility. The speaker’s love for Zoey is protective, tender, and transformative. He measures the world by her, he speaks her name to calm his rage, and he worries about being a good father.

Zoey also affects the speaker’s relationship with others. In “Unsolicited Advice,” Zoey’s birth ties the speaker to her mother, her brother, and her parents. He must hug them all, redefining family as an expanded circle. The poem implies that Zoey creates a new network of care.

There is no direct relationship between Zoey and her mother shown in the poems; the mother is present at birth but not named. Zoey’s relationship with her father is the emotional center.

In “I say black fatherhood,” Zoey’s name is used to refute an outsider’s prejudice. The speaker’s relationship with the privileged man is adversarial, but Zoey intervenes through the speaker’s own choice to name her.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Decision 1: To stay present at Zoey’s birth. In “Unsolicited Advice,” the speaker decides not to panic, not to crack, not to shatter. He chooses to be in the room, cut the cord, hold her. Consequence: He begins fatherhood with emotional openness, setting the stage for a loving bond.

Decision 2: To whisper Zoey’s name instead of swinging his fists. In “I say black fatherhood,” the speaker feels his temper rising like a gasoline stove. He decides to say Zoey’s name twice rather than attack. Consequence: He avoids violence, redefines black fatherhood as strength through love, and maintains his dignity without harming anyone.

Decision 3: To keep living through depression. In “Drowning Fish,” the speaker is overwhelmed by sadness and uncertainty about his parenting. He decides to breathe and tell himself it will be okay. Consequence: He survives a dark episode, and Zoey continues to have a father.

Decision 4: To measure the world by Zoey. In “Zoey,” the speaker rejects the abstract 30,000‑mile figure and instead describes the world as her size. Consequence: His priorities shift from general knowledge to intimate care. Love becomes his new geography.

Theme/Symbol Connections

Language and Its Limitations

Zoey is not directly tied to language barriers, but her existence shows that love can be communicated without full vocabulary. In “Unsolicited Advice,” the speaker is told to sing Bob Marley—music as a universal language. Zoey’s name itself becomes a word that encapsulates everything: “Zoey” is a command to calm down. This connects to the theme of language’s limits because the speaker cannot fully express his love or fear in ordinary words; he reduces it to her name. See the language and its limitations page.

Defiance and Resilience

Zoey is a symbol of defiance against despair. The speaker defies death in “This is how I scare the dirt” (though she is not in that poem), and in “Drowning Fish” he defies depression for her. She is the reason he says “Not today” to self‑destruction. She is a living anchor of resilience. Visit the defiance and resilience page.

Legacy and Memory

Zoey is the speaker’s legacy. His poems about her ensure that her existence is recorded. In “Zoey,” he permanently shrinks the world to her dimensions—a symbolic act of valuing her above all else. She also represents the future that his ancestors might have imagined. The speaker’s struggle to be a good father is about leaving a positive memory for her. Explore legacy and memory.

Systemic Racism and Violence

In “I say black fatherhood,” Zoey is invoked in response to a racist microaggression. The speaker’s decision not to lash out physically is a direct confrontation with the stereotype that Black fathers are absent or violent. Zoey is the counter‑example: she exists, she is loved, and her father is present and self‑controlled. This connects to systemic racism and violence.

Love and Family

Zoey is the heart of the love and family theme. Her birth redefines family to include the mother’s relatives. Her name is synonymous with love. In “Drowning Fish,” the speaker’s love for her is the thread that holds him together. She is the proof that love can be a “reckless child” (from “Love can be a reckless child”)—joyful, demanding, and ultimately worth everything. See love and family.

5 Book‑Specific Questions and Answers

1. How does Zoey’s name function as a tool for emotional regulation?

In the poem “I say black fatherhood,” the speaker is provoked by a racist joke. He clenches his fist and feels his temper boiling. Instead of retaliating, he whispers “Zoey. Zoey.” He describes her name as “two ice cubes” that cool his hands. Her name works as a mantra that redirects his anger into love, showing that fatherhood gives him a reason to exercise restraint.

2. Why does the speaker measure the world by Zoey’s size in the poem “Zoey”?

The speaker used to think of the world in abstract terms—30,000 miles. After becoming a father to Zoey, he understands the world through her physical presence: three feet tall and sixteen pounds. This shift from abstract to concrete reflects how love for a specific person collapses grand scales into intimate care. The world becomes “small enough to pick up,” meaning everything that matters is contained in her.

3. What does the speaker reveal about his own emotional state when he mentions Zoey in “Drowning Fish”?

He admits he is not sure if he is a good father, linking his depression to his parenting self‑doubt. Zoey is a reason to keep going even when he feels like a “drowning fish.” He repeats “it’s going to be ok” while crying and panicking, indicating that his love for her is what prevents him from giving up. She represents the future version of himself he hopes to reach.

4. In “Unsolicited Advice,” how does Zoey’s birth change the speaker’s definition of family?

Before Zoey’s birth, the speaker might have seen family as limited to blood relations. The poem instructs him to hug her brother, shake her father’s hand, and hug her mother like his own. The line “They are all your family now” explicitly expands the circle. Zoey becomes the connector that merges two families into one.

5. What does the poem “I say black fatherhood” reveal about societal stereotypes regarding Black fathers?

The poem shows that a privileged man considers “black fatherhood” an oxymoron—a joke. The speaker’s internal rage and ultimate choice to whisper Zoey’s name challenge that stereotype. He demonstrates that Black fathers are present, loving, and capable of profound self‑control. Zoey’s existence disproves the racist assumption; the speaker’s action redefines black fatherhood as a source of strength.