Saturday, March 1, 2008

Portland Coliseum

From the Penguin Classics: Read the Beatles
"Portland Coliseum"
by Allen Ginsberg

A brown piano in diamond
white spotlight
Leviathan auditorium
iron run wired
hanging organs, vox
black battery
A single whistling sound of ten thousand children's
larynxes asinging
pierce the ears
and following up the belly
bliss the moment arrived

Apparition, four brown English
jacket christhair boys
Goofed Ringo battling bright
white drums
Silent George hair patient
Soul horse
Short black-skulled Paul
with the guitar
Lennon the Captain, his mouth
a triangular smile,
all jump together to End
some tearful memory song
ancient-two years,
The million children
the thousand words
bounce in their seats, bash
each other's sides, press
legs together nervous
Scream again & claphand
become one Animal
in the New World Auditorium
--hands waving myriad
snakes of thought
screetch beyond hearing

while a line of police with
folded arms stands
Sentry to contain the red
sweatered ecstasy
that rises upward to the
wired roof.



-August 27, 1965

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love allen ginsbergs poetry and trhis reference to the beatles is amazing since i am a big fan of both. During those times going to a beatlesconcert must have been an illuminating experience.
-lucia

thefuture said...

If you love this poem, know that the place it was written about is in danger of demolition. To find out more please visit:

www.portlandarchitecture.com