The poem "Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden describes a father's quiet dedication to his son on cold winter Sundays. The father would wake early to prepare a fire for warmth, then make breakfast before the son awoke. While the son took his father's actions for granted in his youth, he now better understands the sacrifices his father made for him with his calloused hands and smoke-filled room. The poem conveys the son's newfound appreciation for his father's devotion through the hardships he endured each Sunday.