Hi Hi!
Whatever is weird about youâyour way of seeing, your voice, your silly way of walkingâdo it more. Do it until it becomes something bigger and interesting and unique.
lean into your weird
No doubt youâve heard the writing advice, lean into your weird?
I think Frank OâHaraâs weird is why I love âHaving a Coke with Youâ so much. The voice is uniquely OâHara. The poem is not telling me about an experienceâseeing art, or being sick in Barcelonaâthe poem is the experience.
Hereâs the first stanza.
Having a Coke with You
is even more fun than going to San Sebastian, IrĂșn, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne
or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona
partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian
partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt
partly because of the fluorescent orange tulips around the birches
partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary
it is hard to believe when Iâm with you that there can be anything as still
as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary when right in front of it
in the warm New York 4 oâclock light we are drifting back and forth
between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles
Remember the thrill of falling in love? When doing something mundane with your heart throb was the very best thing a day could offer?
âŠorange shirt, love of yoghurt, tulips, birches, secret smiles⊠Iâm enraptured with the breathless stacking of specific details. Iâm seeing the tulips, the orange shirt, the 4 oâclock light. I feel âlet inâ to this private moment.
âŠa tree breathing through its spectacles⊠I have no idea what it means and I donât care! Itâs bewitching, itâs weird.
What I also love about the poem is the quotidian quality⊠this is my life, OâHara says. These details are what I do (drink a coke) and what I want to tell you about. And look at how I find the mysterious and the beautiful in the ordinary! You can too!
Hereâs a lovely deep interactive read on the poem, from A.O. Scott, in the New York Times, paywall removed. A Poem Thatâs Like a Perfect First Date.
âŠ
Another writer I adore, who completely leans into her weird, is Grace Paley.
Itâs not so much her weird, just her unique cadence, her neighborhood voice, her vision. Like OâHara, Paleyâs voice is conversational, intimate, kind of all over the place, same as the best conversations I have with friends and family. She and OâHara include everything⊠the kitchen sink, and I love it.
Hereâs a passage from âMy Father Addresses Me on the Facts Old Ageâ :
Please sit down, he said. Be patient. The main thing is thisâwhen you get up in the morning you must take your heart in your two hands. You must do this every morning.
Thatâs a metaphor, right?
Metaphor? No, no, you can do this. In the morning, do a few little exercises for the joints, not too much. Then put your hands like a cup over and under the heart. Under the breast. He said tactfully. Itâs probably easier for a man. Then talk softly, donât yell. Under your ribs, push a little. When you wake up, you must do this massage. I mean pat, stroke a little, donât be ashamed. Very likely no one will be watching. Then you must talk to your heart.
Talk? What?
Say anything, but be respectful. Sayâmaybe say, Heart, little heart, beat softly but never forget your job, the blood. You can whisper also, Remember, rememberâŠ
You can hear the complete story, and a conversation with Allan Gurganus here.
Do you want to lean into your weird? Why not join me?
There is no time to waste!
If youâre in need of a writing shake up. If your writing needs a boost just now. Iâm offering a free writing happy hour in August! Join me for No Time to Waste!âa gathering of creative energy and output. Bring a party mood! Come prepared to have fun, let loose, and see where your words take you.
âIâll bring inspiring writing samples, new prompts, + energy. Whether youâre looking to break through writerâs block or just want to celebrate the joy of writing with others, this is your chance. Bring your favorite notebook, your curiosity, and your voice. Let's get words on the page together!
ââPaid subscribers to read.write.eat. join the class gratis as a gift from me! If you too would like to join No Time to Waste! upgrade to an annual subscription here. Thereâs a 20% discount!
Did you miss the last few jewels? No fear! cookies. melon salad. novel. dance. at your service.
Lean into your weird!
Tell your people you love them, and take care of your skin!
Thank you! I love the poem and your take on it! I hadnât seen this AO Scott piece but loved the last one I read. đđŒđ
I love "Having a Coke with you"---I keep a clip of O'Hara reading it on my desktop, so I can play it whenever I need a jolt of happiness....