The whiskey on your breath
Could make a small boy dizzy;
But I hung on like death:
Such waltzing was not easy.
We romped until the pans
Slid from the kitchen shelf;
My mother's countenance
Could not unfrown itself.
The hand that held my wrist
Was battered on one knuckle;
At every step you missed

 These lines imply that the mother attempted to appear happy, but failed. She was understandably upset: The child could possibly get hurt dancing with his drunken father. And on top of this, they were making a mess. If you interpret the poem as a scene of abuse, however, the mother could be silently looking on while her child is being abused by his father, feeling regret but not saying anything.
My Papas Waltz