9 LGBT Poets To Know And Love

From: NewNowNext

3. 

Frank O’Hara 

(1926-1966)

A prominent figure of the New York School (a group of artists in New York City inspired by abstract expressionism, jazz and surrealism), Frank O’Hara dazzled throughout the 50s and 60s with his wildly hilarious, urgent and personal poetry.

O’Hara identified openly as a gay man and kept a wide circle of friends and lovers, many of whom he expressively captured in his trademark confessional style.

From “Having a Coke with You”

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 and anyway it’s in the Frick

which thank heavens you haven’t gone to yet so we can go together the first time

and the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism

just as at home I never think of the Nude Descending a Staircase or

at a rehearsal a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo that used to wow me

and what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them

when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank

or for that matter Marino Marini when he didn’t pick the rider as carefully

as the horse

it seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience

which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I am telling you about it