Meditations in an Emergency by Frank O'Hara

Inspired by my obsession with Mad Men, I bought Meditations in an Emergency by Frank O'Hara. It has reminded me how out of practice I am at reading poetry. And I require practice; I have discovered the interpretation of poetry not to be an intuitive task for me.

As I read this book, I am looking for its meaning in the context of Mad Men. I was quickly interested in the first poem in the book, and it reminds me of Don:

To the Harbormaster

I wanted to be sure to reach you;
though my ship was on the way it got caught
in some moorings. I am always tying up
and then deciding to depart. In storms and
at sunset, with the metallic coils of the tide
around my fathomless arms, I am unable
to understand the forms of my vanity
or I am hard alee with my Polish rudder
in my hand and the sun sinking. To
you I offer my hull and the tattered cordage
of my will. The terrible channels where
the wind drives me against the brown lips
of the reeds are not all behind me. Yet
I trust the sanity of my vessel; and
if it sinks it may well be in answer
to the reasoning of the eternal voices,
the waves which have kept me from reaching you.

More thoughts on the book as I make my way through...