Standing on the edge Quote by Frank O'Hara
““Now That I Am in Madrid I Can Think " I think of you and the continents brilliant and arid and the slender heart you are sharing my share of with the American air as the lungs I have felt sonorously subside slowly greet each morning and your brown lashes flutter revealing two perfect dawns colored by New York see a vast bridge stetching to the humbled outskirts with only you Standing on the edge of the purple like an only tree and in Toledo the olive groves’ soft blue look at the hills with silver like glasses like an old ladies hair It’s well known that God and I don’t get along together It’s just a view of the brass works for me, I don’t care about the Moors seen through you the great works of death, you are greater you are smiling, you are emptying the world so we can be alone together.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: "A City Winter" by Frank O'Hara, 1959
The speaker intertwines personal longing with vivid cityscapes, suggesting love can transform ordinary places into shared, intimate worlds.
In simple terms: Love makes familiar places feel extraordinary.
Key Takeaway
Seek intimacy in everyday surroundings.
Themes
love
city
memory
loneliness
art
spirituality
Mood
melancholic
hopeful
introspective
Type
poetic
literary
romantic
When to use this quote
- walking in Madrid
- thinking of a lover
- observing city life
- contemplating mortality
- sharing solitude
Key Concepts
Romanticism
urban imagery
existential reflection
Questions to Reflect On
- How does the city shape your feelings of love?
- What does “the world being emptied” mean to you?
A Different Perspective
The dense, metaphorical language may obscure the core sentiment for some readers.
