I was reminded of this poem in Frank O’Hara’s Lunch Poems when I saw a man collapsed on the street the other day. It was at a distance and there were people surrounding him and aiding him. This poem is just called “Poem.”
POEM by Frank O'Hara, 1962 Lana Turner has collapsed! I was trotting along and suddenly it started raining and snowing and you said it was hailing but hailing hits you on the head hard so it was really snowing and raining and I was in such a hurry to meet you but the traffic was acting exactly like the sky and suddenly I see a headline LANA TURNER HAS COLLAPSED! there is no snow in Hollywood there is no rain in California I have been to lots of parties and acted perfectly disgraceful but I never actually collapsed oh Lana Turner we love you get up
A few things were on my mind:
- the lack of punctuation (only the exclamation points)
- the eminence of the climate (the heat!)
- the exasperation/vague hurry that Frank is always operating within
- the sense of place: New York (but is it New York?)
The “get up” really does something genius for me. It feels so immediate, yet so casual. So urgent, yet there is no follow up. The poem feels like a single breath and this last line feels like a little exhale. It’s really so great.
This poem kind of gives me déjà vu in that it reminds me of just being alive. This is a good reminder for this time of year. It’s rainy. Time seems to spiral away from us and the days feel so heavy, yet so breathless. Do you know what I mean?
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