Posted by Tania Kindersley.
Here, in the nuttiest of nutshells, is the miracle of the blogosphere. The wonderful Mrs Trefusis had a new post up, so I beetled over in my lunch hour to have a look. And there I found a ravishing poem, by a poet of whom I knew nothing. (And I call myself a writer?)
A short Google later, and I now know about Frank O'Hara, have read some of his glorious work, and have fallen entirely in love with him. If it weren't for the fascinating game of shuttlecock that is the practice of blogging (slightly forced analogy, but go with it; can't think of a better one just now) I might have gone to my grave without ever having heard of Frank O'Hara.
So now I feel: slightly better educated, generally entranced, and convinced that the sum total of human happiness has been added to. Which is a potent cocktail for an ordinary Friday lunchtime.
Forced analogies are my best friend!
ReplyDeleteVAST relief to know that I am not the only one.
ReplyDeleteAlso, must admit that I am not EXACTLY sure what shuttlecock is. (A bit like Badminton?) Just like the word and thought I might as well wing it.
ReplyDeleteYou should have heard the (ok, alcohol inspired) analogy about brain size and vegetables, all because someone said to my drunken self that my brain was the size of a pea!
ReplyDeleteHmm, probably shouldn't admit that on a public blog!
p.s shuttlecock = the badminton "ball" - a round tip with feathers or nowadays plastic allowing them to float and glide.
ReplyDeleteI'm so delighted you love Frank O'Hara too - I was incredibly into him about 20 years ago and then forgot all about him until watching Mad Men a few weeks ago, when the inimitable Don Draper is in his study, reading Meditations in an Emergency (I've just put a link to the piece on my blog). So I unearthed my old copy and have been reading and re-reading. I was trying to write a post about my father, who is very ill, and found I couldn't, and all I had left were O'Hara's lines. And so I posted that instead. xx
ReplyDeleteMysterycreature - thank you so much for shuttlecock information. Mind is calmer now.
ReplyDeleteMrs Trefusis - was so caught up in beauty of the O'Hara poem that I did not see the sad news about yr dad. Haved posted comment on yr blog. All thoughts with you. xx
I always find myself falling into the most poignant and beautiful poems in times of need.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought the shuttlecock reference was most fitting!
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