My Papa's Waltz by Theodore Roethke

Summary: My Papa's Waltz by Theodore Roethke is a poem of a small boy's point of view as he struggles with a waltz-like moment during aggression with his father as his mother can only watch.

Verse 1:

There was whiskey on his father's breath that made the son dizzy
Although he was affected by the father's drunkenly stupor, he continued his "waltzing" with his father

Verse 2:

The dance between the son and the father was so intense that they made a mess of the pans in the kitchen
The son's mother could only look on with a frown on her face

Verse 3:

As his father held his wrist, the son took note of the knuckle that was used to hit him
When the father stumbled, the son would have his right ear hurt from his father's buckle

Verse 4:

As they "waltzed" and "danced" in time, the father would hit his son on the head with his open hand
The son would cling to his father's shirt as the son was being put to bed

Other Notes:

The poem seems to talk about a routine as if this happens often to the son
The mother is tired of "waltzing" with the father in the way that her son now waltzes with the father so she stays to the side and watches with a frown
The father can only reveal his true feelings through hurtful physical interaction with his son in some kind of feeling of frustration
The son is revealing to the audience that it is not "easy" to be the grunt of his father's aggression but he endures it just the same; may be to save his mother from this fate