Waltzing with my Child

by kieleyray

February 5, 2020

Can’t lift your head yet barely,

But your eyes they charm and smile.

Little babe I love so dearly,

Please stay small for a while.

Today I see my greatest fear:

Now you stand ‘bout three feet tall;

With all the days I’ve worked, my dear,

I feel I’ve missed it all.

So each night I greet Jim Beam

As soon as I walk in the door,

But your smile still reigns supreme;

It holds so much more warmth.

And so each night before bedtime

I keep my slurring hidden,

So in your mother will not chime

As we waltz across the kitchen!

This poem is intended to shed light on the poem “My Papa’s Waltz,” by Theodore Roethke. The original poem was written to be interpreted in two ways: from an innocent child’s perspective, or from a knowing adult’s perspective. However, in my poem, you see things from the father’s perspective.

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