Frank O'Hara, Lunch Poems

"willow trees, willow trees they remind me of Desdemona I'm so damned literaryand at the same time the waters rushing past remindme of nothing"

"Oh say can you see Alma. The darlingof Them. All her friends were artists. They alone have memories. They alonelove flowers. They alone give partiesand die. Poor Alma. They alone. She died,and it was as if all the jewels in the worldhad heaved a sigh. The seismographat Fordham university registered, for once,a spiritual note. How like a sliverin her own short fat muscular foot. She loved the Western World, thoughthere are some who say she isn't really dead."

"… and I’ll be happy here and happy there, fullof tea and tears"

"… my words are lovewhich willfully parades inits room, refusing to move."

"Mothers of America let your kids go to the movies! get them out of the house so they won't know what you're up to it's true that fresh air is good for the body but what about the soul that grows in darkness, embossed by silvery images and when you grow old as grow old you must they won't hate you"

"you know we've all sinned a lot against scienceso we really ought to be as available as an appleon a boughpleasant thought fresh air free love cross-pollenizationoh oh god how I'd love to dream let alone sleep"

"...but it is good to be several floors up in the dead of night wondering whether you are any good or not and the only decision you can make is that you did it..."