Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”
Chalbert * Track #13 On CHalbertA3
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Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa's Waltz” by Chalbert
Performed by
ChalbertAbout
S: Adult man reminiscing on an experience with his father
O: An evening during which the boy interacts with his drunk father. I know he is drunk because the poem talks about the strong whisky on the fathers breath.
A: Everyone, people interested in abuse, family relationships, etc.
P: Either to info...
Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” Annotated
The whiskey on your breath
Could make a small boy dizzy;
But I hung on like death:
Such waltzing was not easy.
We romped until the pans
Slid from the kitchen shelf;
My mother’s countenance
Could not unfrown itself.
The hand that held my wrist
Was battered on one knuckle;
At every step you missed
My right ear scraped a buckle.
You beat time on my head
With a palm caked hard by dirt,
Then waltzed me off to bed
Still clinging to your shirt.