I don’t usually read poetry, as you have probably noticed if
you read this blog. But Frank O’Hara seemed different. His poetry seemed more
alive, and more relatable than some others. He used simple words and phrases
instead of the grandiose ones that pretentious poets seem to favor. So I
thought that I’d check out his works with this anthology of poems.
The poems are all laid out in chronological order, pulling
from all of his different collections. There is also some prose at the end, of
O’Hara talking about his poems and his writings. There’s also a play, “Try!
Try!”, that O’Hara wrote in with the poems which is interesting. All in all, it
looks like a great selection of his work across his career.
O’Hara’s work is vibrant, as he later describes it, it is
poetry that is between two people instead of between the poet and a sheet of
paper. He writes a lot about his sexuality, there is even a poem titled
“Homosexuality” in the book! My favorite is probably “Meditations in an
Emergency” that contains a great passage about how he can’t enjoy anything
green without knowing that there is a city nearby where people do not regret
life. Because that’s what he’s writing about: people and life!
Reading poetry was nice for a change, especially with a poet
that captures what he’s feeling so simply and vibrantly. I should look into his
other works, maybe one of his original publications instead of just an
anthology.
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