Frank O'Hara

Ave Maria

Mothers of America
             let your kids go to the movies
get them out of the house so they won’t
  know what you’re up to
it’s true that fresh air is good for the body
            but what about the soul
that grows in darkness, embossed by
  silvery images
and when you grow old as grow old you
  must
            they won’t hate you
they won’t criticize you they won’t know
            they’ll be in some glamorous
              country
they first saw on a Saturday afternoon or
  playing hookey
they may even be grateful to you
            for their first sexual experience
which only cost you a quarter
            and didn’t upset the peaceful
              home
they will know where candy bars come
  from
            and gratuitous bags of popcorn
as gratuitous as leaving the movie before
  it’s over
with a pleasant stranger whose apartment
  is in the Heaven on
            Earth Bldg
near the Williamsburg Bridge
            oh mothers you will have made
                the little
                           tykes
so happy because if nobody does pick
  them up in the movies
they won’t know the difference
            and if somebody does it’ll be
                sheer gravy
and they’ll have been truly entertained
  either way
instead of hanging around the yard
            or up in their room hating you
prematurely since you won’t have done
  anything horribly mean
                 yet
except keeping them from life’s darker joys
            it’s unforgivable the latter
so don’t blame me if you won’t take this
  advice
            and the family breaks up
and your children grow old and blind in
  front of a TV set
            seeing
movies you wouldn’t let them see when
  they were young
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