My Papa's Waltz

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"My Papa's Waltz" is a poem written by Theodore Roethke.^[1] The poem was first published during 1942 in Hearst Magazine and later in other collections, including the 1948 anthology The Lost Son and Other Poems.^[2]

The poem takes place sometime during the poet's childhood and features a boy who loves his father, but is afraid of him. The boy is waltzing with his father, who is drunk and described as having battered knuckles and dirty palms. "My Papa's Waltz" deals with themes of family, relationships, confliction, fear, and love. Like other pieces written by Roethke, "My Papa's Waltz" draws from the poet's relationship with his father. "My Papa's Waltz" is considered to be one of Roethke's best works. It fits into the wider context of Roethke's work due to the role the father plays in the narrative.

The last line of the poem, "Still clinging to your shirt", indicates that the waltz and events that transpired had happened before and would happen again, reinforcing that the boy loves his father, despite the way he is treated.