My Papa’s Waltz is by Theodore Rothke it is about a childhood memory written later in his lifetime. Theodore Rothke’s dad was an alcoholic drunk. Theodore Rothke went through a period where he was depressed and mentally unstable. Theodore Rothke was fascinated by the nature of the world; many of his poems were about this subject. Some people who read My Papa’s Waltz come to the conclusion that it is about a drunken abusive father. However, I think when he was writing this he was reminiscing about a good childhood memory ....