The Day Lady Died By Frank O’Hara - Giggle Poems

Original Poem：

It is 12:20 in New York a Friday
three days after Bastille day, yes
it is 1959 and I go get a shoeshine
because I will get off the 4:19 in Easthampton
at 7:15 and then go straight to dinner
and I don’t know the people who will feed me
I walk up the muggy street beginning to sun
and have a hamburger and a malted and buy
an ugly NEW WORLD WRITING to see what the poets
in Ghana are doing these days
I go on to the bank
and Miss Stillwagon (first name Linda I once heard)
doesn’t even look up my balance for once in her life
and in the GOLDEN GRIFFIN I get a little Verlaine
for Patsy with drawings by Bonnard although I do
think of Hesiod, trans. Richmond Lattimore or
Brendan Behan’s new play or
Le Balcon
or
Les Nègres
of Genet, but I don’t, I stick with Verlaine
after practically going to sleep with quandariness
and for Mike I just stroll into the PARK LANE
Liquor Store and ask for a bottle of Strega and
then I go back where I came from to 6th Avenue
and the tobacconist in the Ziegfeld Theatre and
casually ask for a carton of Gauloises and a carton
of Picayunes, and a NEW YORK POST with her face on it
and I am sweating a lot by now and thinking of
leaning on the john door in the 5 SPOT
while she whispered a song along the keyboard
to Mal Waldron and everyone and I stopped breathing

Analysis and Interpretation of the Poem

This poem captures a vivid snapshot of a day in New York City in 1959, blending mundane activities with cultural and literary reflections. The speaker narrates a sequence of seemingly ordinary events — getting a shoeshine, taking a train, eating a hamburger — but these actions are interwoven with references to poetry, art, and music, creating a rich tapestry of urban life. The poem’s tone is contemplative and somewhat nostalgic, evoking a sense of wandering through both physical and intellectual spaces.

The mention of Bastille Day places the poem in a specific historical context, three days after July 14th, 1959. The speaker’s journey to Easthampton and various stops — the bank, a liquor store, a tobacconist — suggest a day filled with small errands and personal rituals. Yet, the poem also hints at a deeper engagement with culture: the speaker buys a literary magazine to explore what poets in Ghana are writing, reflecting an awareness of global literary movements. The references to Verlaine, Hesiod, and Brendan Behan indicate the speaker’s broad literary interests, while the mention of Genet’s plays points to avant-garde theater.

The poem ends on a sensory and emotional note, describing sweat and the memory of a whispered song at the 5 Spot, a famous jazz club, highlighting the intimate connection between music and experience. The image of stopping breathing while listening to Mal Waldron’s piano performance conveys a moment of intense immersion in art.

Background and Author Introduction

This poem reflects the style of Frank O’Hara, a prominent American poet associated with the New York School. O’Hara’s poetry often blends everyday urban experiences with high culture, jazz, and personal reflection. His work is known for its immediacy, conversational tone, and incorporation of contemporary life.

Written in 1959, the poem situates itself in the post-war era, a time when New York City was a vibrant hub for artists, writers, and musicians. The references to international poets and avant-garde theater underscore the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the city and the interconnectedness of global artistic communities.

Educational Value and Learning Points

Students can learn several important lessons from this poem:

• Cultural Awareness: The poem introduces students to literary figures (Verlaine, Hesiod, Genet) and global poetry (poets in Ghana), encouraging exploration beyond their immediate environment.
• Historical Context: The setting in 1959 New York and the mention of Bastille Day provide opportunities to discuss historical and cultural events of the mid-20th century.
• Literary Devices: The poem uses imagery, allusion, and stream of consciousness style, which can be analyzed to understand how poets convey mood and meaning.
• Urban Life: The poem offers a glimpse into the daily life and social fabric of a major city, useful for discussions on urban culture and personal narrative.
• Interdisciplinary Connections: The poem connects literature, music, and visual art (drawings by Bonnard), showing how different art forms interact.

Practical Applications in Learning and Life

• Creative Writing: Students can practice writing their own poems or narratives based on a day in their life, incorporating cultural or personal references.
• Cultural Studies: The poem can be a starting point for projects on 20th-century art, jazz music, or global literature.
• Critical Thinking: Analyzing the poem’s themes and references helps develop interpretive skills and cultural literacy.
• Language Skills: The poem’s conversational tone and vocabulary provide material for expanding English language proficiency.

Reading Comprehension Questions

1. What is the significance of the poem’s setting being three days after Bastille Day?
2. Why does the speaker buy the "NEW WORLD WRITING" magazine?
3. Which literary figures are mentioned, and what might their inclusion suggest about the speaker?
4. How does the poem convey the atmosphere of New York City in 1959?
5. What role does music play in the poem’s conclusion?
6. How does the poem blend everyday activities with cultural reflections?
7. What emotions or mood does the poem evoke by the end?
8. Why might the speaker choose Verlaine over other writers mentioned?
9. What does the poem reveal about the speaker’s personality or interests?
10. How does the poem’s structure and style affect its overall impact?

Answers to the Comprehension Questions

1. Bastille Day marks a historical and cultural reference point, situating the poem in early July 1959 and suggesting a connection to French culture.
2. The speaker buys the magazine to learn about contemporary poets in Ghana, showing an interest in international literature and new voices.
3. Literary figures like Verlaine, Hesiod, Brendan Behan, and Genet are mentioned, indicating the speaker’s wide-ranging literary tastes and intellectual curiosity.
4. The poem uses detailed descriptions of places, weather, and activities to create a vivid, sensory experience of New York City’s vibrant urban life.
5. Music, especially the whispered song at the 5 Spot jazz club, symbolizes emotional intensity and artistic immersion.
6. The poem juxtaposes simple errands with deep cultural engagement, highlighting the coexistence of the mundane and the profound.
7. The mood shifts from casual and observational to intimate and contemplative, ending with a moment of breathless awe.
8. The speaker’s choice of Verlaine may reflect a preference for his poetic style or emotional resonance over other more challenging or avant-garde works.
9. The poem reveals the speaker as cultured, reflective, and attuned to both everyday life and artistic expression.
10. The conversational, stream-of-consciousness style creates immediacy and intimacy, drawing readers into the speaker’s personal experience.

This poem offers a rich resource for students to explore literary analysis, cultural history, and creative expression, making it an excellent teaching tool for language arts and humanities education.