Weekend Guide: 03.05.2021

oh god it's wonderful

I am a common man, a man of time. I crave structure and fear chaos. This week, I felt like skipping the guide. Life was happening, and it didn’t feel right to interrupt it to throw my book-thoughts into the ether. But here we are. For me, consistency is key.

This week, i’ve been slowly working my way through A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter. It’s billed as an erotic novel. *Perfect American fiction*. I kind of agree. Needless to say, it’s been checking all of my boxes. It’s really been blowing my mind. I plan on writing something later on how good he writes sex. From what I can gather, sex is hard to write. Salter does it really well. It felt like something that shouldn’t be rushed. Stay tuned.

If the spirit moves you. Pick up a copy, read it. Then maybe we can have a discussion in the comments section next week. Hey. Just a thought!

Then this Frank O’Hara poem graced my Twitter timeline.

It hit me pretty good. I read it a few times over. Then I put down my phone. It no longer felt necessary. It made me feel gross.

You know when you have those fleeting moments of complete clarity? When everything aligns and feels right with the world? This poem almost gets me there. It may be the key that unlocks the universe. It is the meaning of life.

It also reminded me how much I dig O’Hara.

If you are looking for a Frank O’Hara entry point, it’s Lunch Poems (1964). It feels like a lucid dream. Light. Breezy. Every day type shit. Very downtown. Smoking cigarettes. Walking around Soho in a suit/loafers/no socks. Wiping your brow with a handkerchief. Real beat shit!

I am saying this with peace and love - I hope you have a great weekend. Pick up something light and breezy. And never ever let it go.