Thursday, July 19, 2012

As Another Year Passes: Part 1

Animals

by Frank O'Hara

Have you forgotten what we were like then
when we were still first rate
and the day came fat with an apple in its mouth

it’s no use worrying about Time
but we did have a few tricks up our sleeves
and turned some sharp corners

the whole pasture looked like our meal
we didn’t need speedometers
we could manage cocktails out of ice and water

I wouldn’t want to be faster
or greener than now if you were with me O you
were the best of all my days


Photo of O’Hara with Grace Hartigan, Allan Kaprow, Joe Hazan, Jane Freilicher
at George Segal’s house in New Jersey. Photo by John Ashberry, 1955

Listen to a beautiful recording of Zadie Smith reading this poem: http://www.coudal.com/qts/animals.wav

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