John Ashbery Poems

We have a friend in common, the retired sophomore.
His concern: that I shall get it like that,
in the right and righter of a green bush
...

Oh there once was a woman
and she kept a shop
selling trinkets to tourists
...

No changes of support—only
Patches of gray, here where sunlight fell.
The house seems heavier
...

Alone with our madness and favorite flower
We see that there really is nothing left to write about.
Or rather, it is necessary to write about the same old things
...

The girl in the green ski chasuble
hasn't yet graduated from radio school.
Let's pay attention.
...

Furthermore, Mr. Tuttle used to have to run in the streets.
Now, each time friendship happens, they're fully booked.
Sporting with amaryllis in the shade is all fine and good,
...

How little we know,
and when we know it!
...

On a set you need bush rebels,
that numbing little chair while passing.
If we knock 'em out
...

Sometimes something like a second
washes the base of this street.
The father and his two assistants
...

He says he doesn't feel like working today.
It's just as well. Here in the shade
Behind the house, protected from street noises,
...