My papa’s Waltz Reading the poem I felt sad for the little boy. Immediately I thought that the boy's father was an alcoholic , who physically beat his son, but as I kept reading and rereading I began to paint a different picture. The boy loved his father and the dancing they did together “I hung on like death” and the boy and his father very much enjoyed doing this together “romped”. The word beat in the poem is not to beat as in hurt, but what I believe is meant to count steps in the waltz. The father was never abusive to his son, he cared for him,taking him to bed and teaching him how to dance a very difficult dance. The waltz, they danced was full of energy and spunk the mother I believe was not frowning about the dancing
