Original poem reprinted online here: "The Day Lady Died" by Frank O'Hara Originally read: July 17, 2013 More information about the Poet: Frank O'Hara I didn't know this poem has many analyses about it. I think the common thread among the analyses are the poem's references. Yes, the lady in this poem represents "Billie Holiday." And yes, there's numerous mentions of pop-culture, place, and time. I think the references have been covered over by Shmoop and Modern American Poets websites. So what can I bring to the table? I'll go stanza by stanza. In the first stanza the speaker knows specifically the time, date, and place, "It is 12:20 in New York a Friday / three days after Bastille day, yes / it is 1959" Why so specific? It's funny the construction is specific as though the speaker wants to remember history, but also note that the poem is written in present tense. The present tense serves a sense of immediacy. The s...
Formerly the RetailMFA, This is the Poetry Blog of Darrell Dela Cruz