Poem 119

An elegy for the disappeared picture theatres of Wellington patronised by me in the first half of the 80s, replaced by multiplexes that in turn have bitten the dust … I’m sure this was published in The Listener …

… the Sunday double-feature was Eraserhead and The Man Who Fell To Earth – crammed to bursting with every punk, art/design/acting student, freak and would-be writer in Wellington …

( I like the way this starts with and loops back to the Majestic … )

Palaces

whatever happened to the Majestic
that thousand-seater whale
on Willis st

what happened to the Plaza
its lit plaster shells
    blushing blue and rose
    and orange
flaming and turning
in strange codes
                   before each show

what even happened to the Academy
its nouveau brown lounge seats
   warlike whoops and drummings
   of jazzercise
through the wall

what happened
to the Lido
   where one Sunday
double feature was so packed
so hot
       they opened the fire doors
and you could see people walking past
in Willis st
             splashes of light
             rebounding in car windows
from the open mouth
of the old
Majestic
that was