'My Papa's Waltz'
Beryl Clarke, Contributor

Today, instead of continuing our exploration of Beka Lamb, we are going to examine another poem. I have chosen to do so because like Ana, with which we have already dealt, this one, My Papa's Waltz, has a child as a central character. There is at least one obvious difference between them though. Do you know what I'm talking about? Think now! Who is the speaker in each poem? Whose point of view do we get?

'My Papa's Waltz'

The whisky 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.

Theodore Roethke

I have enjoyed many lively discussions on this poem as it lends itself to various interpretations. Now, please remember that your opinion of any literary work is as valid as that of anyone else but it must be based on the facts of the work. You must, therefore, spend time to understand the meaning of the words and the effect of the devices used in this peice, by Theodore Roethke, or with any other writer whose creative efforts you are studying.

The basic 'story' here is that of a father and son moving around the kitchen, somewhat erratically, but dancing together. You will agree that their movement could not have been smooth for the speaker's father had been drinking alcohol and was, therefore, not very steady on his feet. The intention, however, is made clear by the use of the word waltz. The father wanted to spend time with his son. By the way, do you think that the poem can be read to the rhythm of a waltz? Try it nuh! A couple from your study group can move to the rhythm while others read the poem aloud.

Father and son move around the kitchen with vigorous action to the extent that the pans on the shelves are disarranged. The mother is not amused; rather, she appears to be upset and whether this is because she is unhappy with her husband for drinking or for the energetic way in which they dance or because she thinks that her husband is being too rough in his interaction with their son is a matter for you to consider.

The father's hand is described and we can see that he does manual work. His palms are coarse and caked with dirt and one knuckle is battered. The son, in recalling this incident, tells us that they romped - suggesting that they had fun together. Finally, the father takes his son to bed. The child is still hanging on to his father tightly as they go to his bed. Why does he? Is this for the same reason as when they were dancing?

My Papa's Waltz consists of four stanzas, each with four lines which rhyme alternately. In other words, it has a regular rhyming pattern - abab in each verse. As in Ana, the father loves his child, or does he? Your answer depends on how you interpret his actions. What is clear is that if we accept that papa loves his son, we must realise that the fathers in these two poems have different ways of demonstrating their affection. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this.

Have you looked carefully at the title? It is not 'Our Waltz' or even 'The Waltz' or 'A Father and Son Waltz'. No. The name of this poem points to an action that is linked specifically to the father. He relates to his son by dancing with him and when you look at the word waltz and think of the action that it suggests and the connotation of closeness and intimacy then you cannot help but conclude that the speaker remembers the waltz as a sign of the love his father had for him.

In the next lesson we will continue to reflect on this engaging poem. Be reminded that you, with the Lord's help, can achieve all your goals through diligent application. Simply put, you must work hard. God Bless!