What I'm Reading: Frank O'Hara
To The Harbormaster
I wanted to be sure to reach you;
though my ship was on the way it got caught
in some moorings. I am always tying up
and then deciding to depart. In storms and
at sunset, with the metallic coils of the tide
around my fathomless arms, I am unable
to understand the forms of my vanity
or I am hard alee with my Polish rudder
in my hand and the sun sinking. To
you I offer my hull and the tattered cordage
of my will. The terrible channels where
the wind drives me against the brown lips
of the reeds are not all behind me. Yet
I trust the sanity of my vessel; and
if it sinks, it may well be in answer
to the reasoning of the eternal voices,
the waves which have kept me from reaching you.
From the new Frank O'Hara, Selected Poems. This is a gorgeous book and I applaud Mark Ford's choices and presentation. Highly recommended.
Comments
Do you know if there are any poems in it that weren't included in Collected Poems? If you remember, I blogged about "Windows," one of my favorite O'Hara poems - but it isn't in Collected because it surfaced later. Is this poem in the new Selected?
BTW, did you see Joe.My.God's review of Laurie Anderson that he posted today? He includes a great video of Only an Expert.
sigh.
I sink: be swan too sure -
tied to reach you too
though their ship arming
coils got caught, roped
nd was ones', our vessel
codified on IT, the moor-
cocks to hens called nut
of Coll and all was fine,
always trying to depart
and deciding i am eternal
sunset storms a metallic
tide fathomless around
forms of understanding
vanity able heard here
Love Polish, rudder-hand
within a sun striking up
this tattered Hull lark
in terrible cord william
my channel's there - wind
drive against the red lip
reed of sanities are not
all behind us yet, our tru-
st. of sanity voicing you
too well spoken, reasonable
swearing voices wave, answer
that kept from reach, you
tunes a New frank O'Hara air-
poome highly flawed lunch poe-
ms. textually gorgeous appall
editorial lauding a choice
of ark: affordable present;y
stationed metro, in polite,
highly talented mister frank
routing to ley lines too U
Staten island frankly, does
not uncle Eddie, english, a
new yorkshire buggy, of SP..
@
cd
CaoimhghÃn Deasmhuman
gra agus siochainn, F
rank