It's hard to imagine what Frank O'Hara has to do with me.
Or how Khao San Road could be related to Times Square.
Yet here I sit sippin' a spicy ginger beer.
And catfish are jumpin! Man, catfish are jumpin! Pretty pony boy...
Give me just one more drink - Before I head home across this mighty River Kwai.
As you might have guessed, this poem was written as a tribute to Frank O'Hara.
He was born in Baltimore, Maryland on March 27, 1926.
O' Hara addressed many issues that were just beginning to surface as his native country began to experience dramatic social and political change.
His poetic themes include social alienation, human sexuality, the creative process, and the poetry of daily existence.
It is arguable that one of his most interesting poems is " A Step Away from Them".
This poem traces the recreational activities of a poet on leave away from his workplace.
He writes "It's my lunch hour so I go for a walk among the hum colored cabs.
First, down the sidewalk where laborers feed their dirty glistening torsos sandwiches and c_c_-cola's, with yellow helmets on".
Sadly, his remarkable life ended quite suddenly as he was struck by a dune buggy on Fire Island on July 25, 1966.
O'Hara was a member of the New York School of Poetry.
He is the son of Russel Joseph O' Hara and Katherine Broderick.
It is said that he had many lovers and friends during his brief time on earth.
O'Hara is considered an important twentieth century poet.