my papa's waltz

i believe this poem was written from a man looking back on his childhood because it was written about in past tense and in an adult voice. i though the use of the word death in the third line was harsh for this poem, but it made the boy sound as if he were afraid. afraid to let go and didnt' compleatly trust his father to support him. in the second stanza we are introduced to the mother and we get a hint in the 8th and 9th lines that she is always unhappy with her husband's drinking behavior. the father is described as having battered knuckles and dirt smudged hands hinting that he is a rough houser and used to difficult work and a difficult way of survival.