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.

 

VETERANS

COMMUNITY

Allen Ginsberg Poem

On August 22, 1965, Memorial Coliseum played host to a concert by The Beatles. Legendary poet Allen Ginsberg was also in attendance that night, and wrote a poem about the experience called “Portland Coliseum.”