“Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara: A Critical Analysis

Introduction: “Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara

“Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara first appeared in 1960 in his collection Lunch Poems, a work that epitomizes the spontaneous, conversational style of the New York School of poets. The poem gained popularity because of its playful yet profound reimagining of love as more significant than traditional markers of culture, art, or history. O’Hara compares the joy of being with his beloved to experiences like traveling in Spain or admiring famous works of art, but concludes that “I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world.” The casual tone, ordinary references (such as yoghurt and orange tulips), and rejection of solemn artistic traditions in favor of personal intimacy struck readers as refreshing and modern. The poem’s enduring appeal lies in how it transforms the everyday act of “having a Coke” into a celebration of love, presence, and lived experience, presenting affection as a force more vital and beautiful than grand cultural artifacts.

Text: “Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara

is even more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irún, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne
or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona
partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian
partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt
partly because of the fluorescent orange tulips around the birches
partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary
it is hard to believe when I’m with you that there can be anything as still
as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary when right in front of it
in the warm New York 4 o’clock light we are drifting back and forth
between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles

and the portrait show seems to have no faces in it at all, just paint
you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them
                                                                                                              I look
at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world
except possibly for the Polish Rider occasionally and anyway it’s in the Frick
which thank heavens you haven’t gone to yet so we can go together for the first time
and the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism
just as at home I never think of the Nude Descending a Staircase or
at a rehearsal a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo that used to wow me
and what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them
when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank
or for that matter Marino Marini when he didn’t pick the rider as carefully
as the horse
                               it seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience
which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I’m telling you about it

From The Collected Poems of Frank O’Hara by Frank O’Hara, copyright © 1971 by Maureen Granville-Smith, Administratrix of the Estate of Frank O’Hara, copyright renewed 1999 by Maureen O’Hara Granville-Smith and Donald Allen.

Annotations: “Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara

Line	Simple Explanation	Literary Devices
“is even more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irún, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne”	The speaker says being with the beloved is more enjoyable than visiting famous European cities.	🌍 Hyperbole (exaggeration of fun), 📍 Allusion (to real cities), 💕 Comparison (love > travel).
“or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona”	He humorously says even being ill while traveling is less significant than being with the beloved.	😂 Humor/Irony, 🌍 Allusion (street in Barcelona), 🎭 Juxtaposition (pleasure of love vs. discomfort of sickness).
“partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian”	The beloved’s orange shirt makes them look like a cheerful version of the martyr Saint Sebastian.	🎨 Simile/Imagery, 🌟 Allusion (St. Sebastian, martyrdom in art), 💡 Contrast (happy vs. suffering saint).
“partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt”	The joy is mutual: his love for the beloved, their quirky love for yoghurt.	💕 Repetition/Anaphora (“partly because”), 😂 Humor, 🎭 Juxtaposition (grand love vs. trivial yoghurt).
“partly because of the fluorescent orange tulips around the birches”	Natural imagery adds brightness and beauty to the scene.	🌸 Imagery, 🎨 Symbolism (tulips = vibrancy, love), 💕 Color imagery.
“partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary”	Their private smiles feel like a secret when others (even statues) are around.	😏 Secrecy/Intimacy, 🗿 Personification (statues as audience), 💕 Romantic imagery.
“it is hard to believe when I’m with you that there can be anything as still”	With the beloved, stillness seems impossible.	🛑 Contrast, 💓 Hyperbole (love breaks stillness).
“as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary when right in front of it”	Statues seem lifeless and rigid compared to their living joy.	🗿 Metaphor (statuary = lifelessness), 🎭 Juxtaposition (living love vs. dead art).
“in the warm New York 4 o’clock light we are drifting back and forth”	A tender image of the couple in soft afternoon light.	🌆 Imagery (time + place), 🎨 Atmospheric detail, 🌿 Movement metaphor.
“between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles”	Odd simile: their exchange is as natural and strange as a tree with glasses.	🌳 Simile, 🎭 Surrealism/Personification (tree breathing with spectacles), 🎨 Visual metaphor.
“and the portrait show seems to have no faces in it at all, just paint”	Love makes art feel less real—paintings lose importance.	🎨 Metaphor (art reduced to paint), 😮 Hyperbole, 🖼️ Contrast (love vs. art).
“you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them”	He questions the point of portraits when the beloved’s face exists.	❓ Rhetorical Question, 🎨 Irony, 💕 Romantic idealization.
“I look at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world”	He values the beloved above all art.	💕 Hyperbole, 🖼️ Contrast (beloved > art), 🌟 Romantic declaration.
“except possibly for the Polish Rider occasionally and anyway it’s in the Frick”	Playful exception: one painting (by Rembrandt) still matters.	🎨 Allusion (Rembrandt’s Polish Rider), 😂 Humor, 🎭 Irony.
“which thank heavens you haven’t gone to yet so we can go together for the first time”	He’s glad they haven’t seen it, so they can share it together.	💕 Romantic intimacy, 🙏 Tone of gratitude, 🌟 Future anticipation.
“and the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism”	The beloved’s movement makes Futurist art unnecessary.	🎨 Allusion (Futurism), 💃 Kinetic imagery, 😂 Playful irony.
“just as at home I never think of the Nude Descending a Staircase or”	He forgets famous artworks when with the beloved.	🎨 Allusion (Duchamp’s painting), ❌ Negation (art vs. reality).
“at a rehearsal a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo that used to wow me”	Even masterpieces by Renaissance artists feel irrelevant.	🎨 Allusion (Leonardo, Michelangelo), 😮 Contrast (once wowed, now irrelevant).
“and what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them”	Impressionists also failed to capture the essence of love.	🎨 Allusion (Impressionism), 💕 Romantic critique of art, ❌ Irony.
“when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank”	They lacked the perfect subject—the beloved.	🌅 Imagery, 🌳 Symbolism (tree, sunset, presence of beloved), 💕 Romantic idealization.
“or for that matter Marino Marini when he didn’t pick the rider as carefully”	Another artist failed in choosing the right model.	🎨 Allusion (Marini), 🐎 Imagery (horse and rider), ❌ Irony.
“as the horse”	The wrong subject diminishes the artwork.	🐎 Metaphor (art depends on harmony), 🎭 Contrast.
“it seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience”	Artists missed the lived beauty he enjoys with the beloved.	💕 Romantic exaggeration, 😮 Irony, 🎨 Contrast.
“which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I’m telling you about it”	He treasures and shares this joy directly.	💕 Direct address, 🌟 Romantic immediacy, 📝 Confessional tone.

Literary And Poetic Devices: “Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara

Device	Definition	Example from Poem	Explanation
Alliteration 🔠	Repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of two successive or closely connected words.	“better happier St. Sebastian” (repeated s sound).	Creates musicality and emphasis, giving the description a lyrical, memorable quality.
Allusion 🌍	Reference to a person, event, place, or artwork.	“St. Sebastian,” “Nude Descending a Staircase,” “Polish Rider.”	Links personal love with cultural/artistic icons, elevating intimacy to universal recognition.
Anaphora 🔁	Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of clauses.	“partly because… partly because…”	Builds rhythm, mimics casual speech, and layers reasons for affection.
Atmospheric Imagery 🌆	Sensory description that sets tone and place.	“in the warm New York 4 o’clock light.”	Grounds love in a real, glowing moment that feels magical and personal.
Contrast ⚖️	Juxtaposition of opposites for effect.	“solemn… unpleasantly definitive as statuary” vs. “our smiles.”	Highlights the difference between lifeless art and living affection.
Direct Address 🗣️	Speaking directly to someone in the poem.	“I look at you and I would rather look at you…”	Creates intimacy and immediacy, as if the beloved is being directly spoken to.
Exaggeration / Hyperbole 💥	Deliberate overstatement for emphasis.	“I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world.”	Magnifies devotion, showing love as surpassing all of art.
Humor / Irony 😂	Playful or witty contrasts.	“partly because of your love for yoghurt.”	Blends the trivial with the profound, making the love expression humorous and charming.
Imagery 🎨	Descriptive language appealing to senses.	“fluorescent orange tulips around the birches.”	Creates vivid, colorful visuals that reflect the brightness of love.
Intimacy / Secrecy Motif 🔒	Theme of private connection.	“the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary.”	Suggests a hidden bond, reinforcing closeness in a public world.
Juxtaposition 🎭	Side-by-side placement of unlike ideas.	“love for you… love for yoghurt.”	Humorously mixes grand passion with trivial detail, creating playfulness.
Metaphor 🔮	Comparison without “like” or “as.”	“the portrait show seems to have no faces… just paint.”	Suggests that art loses meaning in comparison with real love.
Movement Imagery (Kinetic) 💃	Language showing motion.	“you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism.”	The beloved’s graceful motion is more powerful than artistic depictions of movement.
Personification 🗿	Giving human qualities to objects.	“the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary.”	Statues act as silent witnesses, reinforcing the theme of public vs. private.
Playful Tone 🎈	Casual, witty, conversational style.	“thank heavens you haven’t gone to yet so we can go together.”	Makes the love poem charming and lighthearted instead of formal.
Repetition 🔂	Reuse of words or phrases for emphasis.	Frequent “partly because.”	Builds rhythm, mirroring natural speech and spontaneous affection.
Romantic Idealization 💕	Elevating the beloved above all else.	“rather look at you than all the portraits in the world.”	Presents the beloved as more valuable than the world’s greatest artworks.
Rhetorical Question ❓	Question asked for effect, not answer.	“you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them.”	Undermines the purpose of art in light of real human love.
Simile 🔗	Comparison using “like” or “as.”	“like a tree breathing through its spectacles.”	Creates a surreal, strange but tender comparison to capture the uniqueness of love.
Surrealism 🌌	Dreamlike, illogical imagery.	“a tree breathing through its spectacles.”	Blends ordinary with bizarre, showing how love transforms perception into the surreal.

Themes: “Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara

• Love as Everyday Experience
• In “Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara, one of the central themes is the elevation of ordinary experience into an act of profound love. Instead of depicting love through traditional romantic grandeur, O’Hara situates intimacy in the simplicity of sharing a Coke, turning the commonplace into the extraordinary. The line “Having a Coke with you is even more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irún, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne” suggests that the speaker finds greater joy in everyday togetherness than in exotic travels. The Coke itself becomes a symbol of modern simplicity and accessibility, representing the democratization of love—no longer tied to aristocratic notions of art, travel, or luxury. O’Hara’s celebration of this ordinary act captures his avant-garde belief that real intimacy lies not in grandeur but in the small, fleeting moments of shared existence.

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• Art Versus Life
• In “Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara, another significant theme is the tension between art and lived experience. The speaker dismisses the timelessness of art by comparing it unfavorably to the immediacy of love: “I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world.” Here, art becomes a symbol of permanence and detachment, while the beloved symbolizes vitality, movement, and warmth. References to canonical artworks—such as “the Nude Descending a Staircase” or “a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo”—suggest that even masterpieces lose relevance when compared to the beloved’s presence. By rejecting solemnity and definitiveness—“as still / as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary”—O’Hara redefines value, insisting that love’s living immediacy surpasses static representation. This theme reflects the New York School’s embrace of modernity and O’Hara’s personal preference for spontaneity over the rigidity of high art traditions.

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• Celebration of Individuality
• In “Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara, individuality and uniqueness of the beloved become a source of poetic inspiration. The playful description “partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian” captures this theme by contrasting the beloved with religious and artistic archetypes. Here, the orange shirt symbolizes vibrancy, freshness, and a living contrast to the suffering of St. Sebastian, an icon of martyrdom in art. Similarly, the mention of “your love for yoghurt” elevates a mundane personal trait into a poetic celebration of individuality. By highlighting these personal quirks, O’Hara rejects conventional ideals of beauty and instead embraces the subjective and personal. This theme underscores the modernist view that intimacy arises not from universal ideals but from the unrepeatable details of a specific person’s existence.

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• Time, Transience, and Presence
• In “Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara, another theme is the fleeting yet powerful nature of presence and time. O’Hara situates the poem in a precise moment—“in the warm New York 4 o’clock light”—suggesting that the immediacy of love is grounded in transient, lived experience. The phrase “drifting back and forth / between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles” symbolizes organic movement, growth, and impermanence, contrasting with the static lifelessness of art and statuary. Time here is not measured in permanence but in the richness of the present moment. The poem insists that shared presence carries more weight than research, history, or technique—“what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them / when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank.” O’Hara highlights that love’s essence lies in its temporality: it resists capture, yet its fleetingness gives it unmatched beauty.

Literary Theories and “Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara

Theory	Reference from Poem	Definition & Explanation
New Criticism 📖	“partly because… partly because…” (repetition/anaphora)	New Criticism focuses on the text itself through close reading. The repetition structures the poem’s rhythm, imitating spontaneous speech. Unusual similes like “like a tree breathing through its spectacles” reveal how figurative language conveys the intensity of love without external context.
Psychoanalytic Theory 🧠	“the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary”	Psychoanalytic critics would see secrecy as symbolic of hidden or unconscious desires. The blend of the profound (“my love for you”) with the trivial (“your love for yoghurt”) reveals an interplay of pleasure and repression, showing how unconscious drives shape the expression of intimacy.
Marxist Criticism ⚒️	“what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them / when they never got the right person to stand near the tree”	Marxist theory critiques culture and class. O’Hara elevates everyday love and consumption (Coke, yoghurt, smiles) above elite art institutions. This positions lived experience and ordinary pleasures as more authentic than commodified or bourgeois high culture.
Postmodernism 🌀	“you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism”	Postmodernism emphasizes irony, play, and mixing of high and low culture. O’Hara humorously dismisses entire art movements in favor of personal experience. References to St. Sebastian and Michelangelo alongside Coke and yoghurt reflect postmodern intertextuality and cultural hybridity.

Critical Questions about “Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara

Literary Works Similar to “Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara

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Representative Quotations of “Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara

Quotation	Context	Theoretical Perspective
“is even more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irún, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne” 🌍	The speaker compares time with the beloved to traveling through glamorous European cities.	New Criticism 📖 – Close reading shows exaggeration (hyperbole) and imagery that elevates love over cultural experiences.
“or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona” 😂	Even unpleasant travel experiences pale compared to the joy of being with the beloved.	Postmodernism 🌀 – Blends humor and irony by mixing grand love with trivial bodily discomfort.
“partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian” 🎨	Beloved is compared to a saint but happier, mixing art history and everyday life.	Allusion / Psychoanalysis 🧠 – Art-historical reference reimagined through desire and intimacy.
“partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt” 🎭	The poem humorously balances deep love with a trivial detail.	Postmodernism 🌀 – Juxtaposes high (love) and low (yoghurt), showing playful cultural mixing.
“the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary” 🔒	Intimate moments remain private, even in public spaces with statues.	Psychoanalysis 🧠 – Secrecy symbolizes unconscious desire and hidden intimacy.
“in the warm New York 4 o’clock light we are drifting back and forth” 🌆	Love is framed in a specific time/place, evoking tenderness.	New Criticism 📖 – Imagery of light and movement creates atmosphere that reflects intimacy.
“like a tree breathing through its spectacles” 🔗	A surreal simile expresses their mutual connection.	Surrealism 🌌 – Shows how love transforms perception into dreamlike imagery.
“I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world” 💕	The beloved surpasses all cultural and artistic masterpieces.	Marxist Criticism ⚒️ – Privileges everyday love and lived experience over elite art institutions.
“you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism” 💃	The beloved’s movements are compared to—and surpass—an entire art movement.	Postmodernism 🌀 – Ironically collapses cultural authority into personal intimacy.
“you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them” ❓	Questions the point of portraiture when real love is more meaningful.	Reader-Response 👀 – Invites readers to see art as meaningless compared to lived emotion, foregrounding personal response.

Suggested Readings: “Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara

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