"MY PAPA'S WALTZ"
a poem by Theodore Roethke
performed by Sherman Alexie
I recorded this poem in my office using a Blue Snowball microphone and my Mac computer. In the background, you can hear the hiss of the air conditioner (I work in a green building, so don't get all righteous about my energy use). This is not the best recording studio in the world, but hey, it is mine, all mine (and my landlord's).
If you're not already hearing sound, then click the Quicktime player above or the SoundCloud player below, depending on which one you can see, to hear the recording. If you can see both players then I've done something goofy. But both will work. Use the one you prefer.
This is one of my favorite poems-perhaps my favorite poem. Its nursery rhyme sound contrasts sharply with the serious tone. The threat of violence-knuckles and buckles and scraped ears and hard dirt hards-is ever present. I've heard a few critics remark that the poem is meant to convey love. They're wrong. It's about love and fear. This poem should be the National Anthem for Children of Alcoholics.
(for the text of the poem and an audio of Roethke reading, go here.)
(to purchase a copy of Roethke's Collected Poems, go here.)