A POET'S NOTEBOOK

A POET'S NOTEBOOK

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A POET'S NOTEBOOK
A POET'S NOTEBOOK
Why I'm Not a Painter

Why I'm Not a Painter

Frank O'Hara

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The Friend
Mar 10, 2025
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A POET'S NOTEBOOK
A POET'S NOTEBOOK
Why I'm Not a Painter
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I am not a painter, I am a poet.
Why? I think I would rather be
a painter, but I am not. Well,

for instance, Mike Goldberg
is starting a painting. I drop in.
“Sit down and have a drink” he
says. I drink; we drink. I look
up. “You have SARDINES in it.”
“Yes, it needed something there.”
“Oh.” I go and the days go by
and I drop in again. The painting
is going on, and…

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