Critique 4: The Day Lady Died

The Day Lady Died by Frank O'Hara does not appear to be a typical elegy.  If you do not read into the poem, it basically describes the narrator's day.  At a closer look, you can tell that the poem is about something more important.  The last sentence of the second to last stanza, as well as the last stanza are filled with a sense of panic and drama.  Even so, I never would have guessed that the poem is an elegy about Billie Holiday.  Once you figure this out, the poem's meaning is elevated.  It is no longer simply a narrator recounting the events of his day.  Despite the elegy's famous and unattainable subject, the poet uses realistic language.  The lines, "and I am sweating a lot by now and thinking of / leaning on the john door in the 5 spot," reveal the physical and mental state of the narrator.  This realistic way of writing invites the reader to experience the narrator's feelings in the poem.