Original poem reprinted online here: "Ave Maria" by Frank O'Hara Originally read: May 14, 2013 More information about the Poet: Frank O'Hara Prayer for a people. Usually when I think of prayer, I think of the more internal that's told by a group of people. Especially when this poem is titled, "Ave Maria" or "Hail Mary." What this poem does is focus it's prayer outward and to the personal. Who is the speaker addressing? "Mothers of America," and "kids." The disjointed lines add a sense of free-form connection between mother and kids and the speaker's perspective in both. In the first half of the poem is the impact of having kids search the world on their own, and the speaker makes good claims, "it's true that fresh air is good for the body / but what about the soul / that grows in darkness, embossed by silvery images." Go outside or the soul will fall. How about these lines, "when you grow ...
Formerly the RetailMFA, This is the Poetry Blog of Darrell Dela Cruz