The Starving Poet (a tribute to Frank O'Hara ---"on the breasts of poetry")

The Starving Poet (a tribute to Frank O'Hara ---"on the breasts of poetry")

 

 

Frank's blues,

no not Sinatra,

O'Hara

 

not Scarlett,

the other one who didn't write about Vivian Leigh

but

begged Lana Turner to get up

after she collapsed

because it collapsed his heart

and his words couldn't rise

until she did

 

and then he just wrote poetry

in large ladles-full

of love poured into stanzas severing his sanity

 

in the end, he had a drink and went for a walk

on the beach

and crashed into the ending

of one of his poems.

 

 

erin-cilberto

10/29/2020

 

 

Reviews

[AJNJ]

His life was one passion-filled poem with a very poetic ending. To live and die by poetry....Now that's something every true poet at heart longs for within. A fabulous tribute sir.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you AJNJ....falls short....but he is one of my idols....
i want that much passion in my writes.
j.

[Coyote Poetry]

Outstanding movement of words Jacob. I liked the story telling in the words also. A interesting ending and now I need to research Frank O'Hara. Thank you my friend for sharing the amazing poetry.
Coyote

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, Coyote...appreciate your kind words.
j.

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome Jacob.

[Patricia Wedel]

I adore this poem... it is the sum of my entire existence... only the names are different. tenderly, Pat

[jacob erin-cilberto]

wow, thank you so much Pat...
You made my poetic night!
j.

[andrew mitchell]

A brilliant write J, just so eloquently said, loved the last stanza. The world is full of Romeo and Juliet scenarios, the tragedies of sexual attraction!

[Wórdsmíth]

i would agree w/ what & how Andrew portrayed it in words...

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you both for your kindness.
j.

[Pete]

quite a guy - curator of the museum of modern art too. a real renaissance man. nice tribute to someone who suffered for their art as they pour both heart and soul into their unlucrative passions. i like the bohemian way in which you ended. nicely written piece ... :)

"Yet poetry, though the last and finest result, is a natural fruit. As naturally as the oak bears an acorn, and the vine a gourd, man bears a poem, either spoken or done. It is the chief and most memorable success, for history is but a prose narrative of poetic deeds." - Thoreau

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, and I love the Thoreau quote...
Like acorns on an oak, yes man bears a poem.
j.

[MOON]

A beautiful tribute to Frank O"Hara , and love the way it infuses the arts of the day told in your lovely style.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, MOON,
j.

[Chris Shaw]

I know how well you admire the work of Frank O'Hara and this is an excellent tribute to his memory and his tragic ending. Lana Turner had many admirers despite her alcohol problem. Frank was one of them.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for understanding, Chris.
j.

[Beano]

Tributes to poets can often fall flat for me, but this is a remarkable exception. It touches expertly on the poetry of his life, and the day Frank died.

Jamie.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I appreciate this review very much, Jamie...thank you,
j.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Love the way you differentiate O'Hara from better known celebrities in this piece. Another icon of poetry who died in tragic circumstances on a dark beach. Lovely tribute piece Jacob.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, John,
j.

[Jimmy Yetts]

Tragic ode to a great poet.
Flirting with madness, on a grand scale, seems to enhance the poet's career.
One area, at least, where I'm touted to have a leg up.
Exceptional offering.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

oh madness is relative...I am in that world as well, Jimmy....thank you for your words,
j.