Not an Ordinary Love Poem
For this poetry reaction I asked a very good friend of mine to tell me one of her favorite poems, since I had already used my favorite ones. She had told me to read “Having A Coke With You” By Frank O’Hara was a great poem to read, and so before I started my search for this poem, I thought about what the poem could possibly be about. I thought it was possible that it could be about a son wanting to share a coke with his father, or vise versa. Sharing a coke with someone doesnt seem intimate so I was surprised when I actually read the poem and found that it wasn’t like that. Its actually a very funny type of love poem.
The tone of the poem is very lighthearted, the speaker is describing his love for someone by using words that usually wouldn’t be found in a love poem. He doesn't describe this person as someone that is extremely perfect, he tells them that there is one painting that is beautifuler then them. “I look at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world except possibly for the Polish Rider occasionally.” Its quite different from other love poems, especially love poe Shakespeare has written. He compares people to the sun, the speaker in O’Hara’s poem is more realistic and it shows, they are just a normal person that has love for another person.
The true meaning of this poem, I believe is not the thing that you are doing, its the people you are doing it with. Something as little as drinking a coke can be so enjoyable as long as you're with the one person you love. Its about how it doesn’t matter what you do in your life, just who you do with it. I also like the fact that he mentions how he hopes to go see his favorite poem with this loved one. “ Anyway it's in the Frick which thank heavens you haven't gone to yet so we can go together the first time” It just something as small as going to a museum to see paintings, can be very enjoyable, if your with the right person. I wouldn’t want to go to something like a concert, which is usually very enjoyable for people, if I was alone, I would want to be with my friends. I would probably even enjoy going somewhere as boring as a waiting room if I was with my friends.
“Not going to go wasted on me which is why I am telling you about it” This line truly confused me at first. I believe now he is saying that he is trying to say that he has not made a mistake in choosing the person he wants to ‘share a coke with’ unlike the artists who picked the wrong person to pose for their art. They could have picked more suitable people, people that would have made the painting even better, but instead they rushed into it and didn't take their time in choosing, and they were stuck with someone. The speaker is trying to say that you can't rush into things like love, you’ll soon realize that you aren’t truly happy with them
. Its actually quite funny that my friend had picked this poem, she doesn’t seem like someone to read love poems. Its possible that she relates to it, she must realize that the poem is about someone that loves another person, but isn't over the moon for that person. They love them for their small things, like their love for yogurt, which is a strange reason to love someone for. The speaker seems really laid back a lot like my friend. The speaker likes this person for the little things they do, but realizes they aren’t perfect, or extremely amazing. He wanted to express to his readers that it is possible to love someone that isn’t extraordinary.
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