In a poem the writer lets out their thoughts and feelings in either a figurative or literal manner. In many cases nobody other than the writer understands the true meaning of the poem, but many so called "experts", attempt to figure it out. The poem "My Papa's Waltz", by Theodore Roethke, does not reflect his childhood with his father, but rather reflects his thought and feelings the day he wrote this poem. As in many …showed first 75 words of 691 total…

…showed last 75 words of 691 total…is still clinging to your shirt, meaning he is still clinging to life. "My Papa's Waltz", by Theodore Roethke is a poem that we will never understand, a poem though over analyzed will always mean the same thing in Theodore's heart and a different thing in ours, a poem that is not ours but still has a meaning to us, a meaning just as correct as that of Mr. Roethke's. <Tab/>