18 replies to this topic

[Next Little Girl]

London Opens

Opening Ceremony of the XXX Olympiad

Opening ceremony, children's choir,

Cricket players don full attire;

Rural London, pre-industrial

Ladies with parasols, still pedestrial.

A gaggle of geese flock ten abreast

Old top hat reads Shakespeare's Tempest:

"Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,"

Men in top hats perform funny hand dances.

Belching towers, industrial revolution,

Land devoured, air pollution;

Forlorn faces, hat-in-hand,

Women's Suffrage takes a stand.

More hand motions, smokestacks higher;

The working class men stoke the fire.

Molten metal flows, drums resound

An Olympic Ring cast, workers pound.

Lonely Hearts Club Band, sans instruments;

Old Red Coats drill with walking sticks.

Into the stadium, four rings fly

To join as the Olympic Five!

Top hats smile instead of frown,

The audience applauds, sparks rain down.

A royal entrance is announced,

By helicopter it's pronounced:

The Queen arrives via parachute!

They're joking silly! it's James Bond in a suit!

To "God Save the Queen" the Union Jack is raised,

They spell out G.O.S.H with a baby face.

Children flip on their beds even though they're ill,

As nurses show off their swing dance skill.

J.K. Rowling reads from Peter Pan:

“Of all the delectable islands the Neverland..."

100 foot Lord Voldemort, fireworks from his wand,

And other characters, children's book spawned.

A Mary Poppins umbrella brigade

Chase off the baddies to save the day!

A giant baby is filled with air;

Whether cute or creepy we don't care!

"Chariots of Fire" with Mr. Bean

Cell phones waved by a group of teens.

Frankie and June say "Thanks Tim!"

Tim Berners-Lee, they mean him.

A montage of teens from British tele,

Millie Small and My Boy Lolli.

Going Underground, London Calling,

My Generation, No Satisfaction;

She Loves You, yeah another sound bite:

All Day and All of the Night.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" sung by Queen

The Eurythmics brought us "Sweet Dreams"

Eighties dancers look like junkies,

They're "Human Doves" not flying monkeys!

Relax says Frankie, pogo sticks,

Frankie and June share their first kiss

"We will be victorious!" sang Muse,

David Beckham speeds to light the fuse.

Steve Redgrave, Muhammad Ali,

Welcome now the world's athletes.

Arctic Monkeys sing “Come Together”

London free from inclement weather!

The audience grows weary waiting for U;

Picking her nails, Liz II looked bored too.

After Paul McCartney sang "Hey Jude"

For many people the night was through.

Sheri Lynne

28 July 2012

[Alsatian before The Doors]

Great work, Sheri!
Of all things I managed to miss the opening ceremony! I hope I can find it somewhere to see though, coz I heard it was magnificent. I saw some clips and I agree. I like how you caught it in your poem, and will find some pix to decorate it. Good rhymes and rhythm helped to create the feel of a procession, which is what that ceremony was like, on a grand scale, showing-casing Britiain to the world, and the things that it has to be proud of in its history and present. It was put together by Danny Boyle, the guy who directed the movie Slum Dog Millionaire. To produce something on this scale to represent Britain and its pride to be holding the Olympic Games so vividly, itself has been a source of pride here. It was a piece of art and so is your poem about it!

[Next Little Girl]

Granger, on 28 July 2012 - 08:23 PM, said:

Very creative! ... I find it amazing what the world
chooses to worship these days. Cheers.

Thanks Granger, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope you saw the ceremony! This poem makes no sense unless you saw it; it was crazy and wonderful.

~Sheri

[Next Little Girl]

Alsatian before The Doors, on 29 July 2012 - 03:18 AM, said:

Great work, Sheri!
Of all things I managed to miss the opening ceremony! I hope I can find it somewhere to see though, coz I heard it was magnificent. I saw some clips and I agree. I like how you caught it in your poem, and will find some pix to decorate it. Good rhymes and rhythm helped to create the feel of a procession, which is what that ceremony was like, on a grand scale, showing-casing Britiain to the world, and the things that it has to be proud of in its history and present. It was put together by Danny Boyle, the guy who directed the movie Slum Dog Millionaire. To produce something on this scale to represent Britain and its pride to be holding the Olympic Games so vividly, itself has been a source of pride here. It was a piece of art and so is your poem about it!

Thanks Alsatian!

I wrote this upon your request and I'm so glad it turned out. I worked on it all day yesterday and I had to research some of the things I saw; because I'm American, some of those things weren't familiar to me, but I think I captured the general gist. The flow was fast moving and the whole thing appeared to the viewer as a collage of British pop culture and contributions to the world.






One thing I would like to expand upon in another poem was the fantastic torch lighting itself! Though the torch has been getting backlash in the media for not being highly visible from a distance, it is in my opinion, the loveliest torch at its inception. Captured on TV, it appeared as a Kaleidoscope of fire. I think your magic touch would be a fitting tribute to that magnificent torch lighting.

~Sheri

[bikerbrom]

Pretty cool, Sheri!

I enjoyed the ceremony, I thought it encapsulated what a modern society needs to survive
-the idealism that, even with conflicts raging, 205 nations can come together and (to an extent) transcend those conflicts.
-The idea that it wasn't about elites holding on and celebrating and glorifying themselves (embodied in the handover of the torch to the young athletes of tomorrow -we don't see a lot of that these days do we?)
-The notion that it takes a team to make an event happen (not some kind of individual self-glorifying narcussist)

so that's what I got out of it. Hope.

[Next Little Girl]

bikerbrom, on 01 August 2012 - 08:01 AM, said:

Pretty cool, Sheri!

I enjoyed the ceremony, I thought it encapsulated what a modern society needs to survive
-the idealism that, even with conflicts raging, 205 nations can come together and (to an extent) transcend those conflicts.
-The idea that it wasn't about elites holding on and celebrating and glorifying themselves (embodied in the handover of the torch to the young athletes of tomorrow -we don't see a lot of that these days do we?)
-The notion that it takes a team to make an event happen (not some kind of individual self-glorifying narcussist)

so that's what I got out of it. Hope.

Thanks Bike,

I gathered they were trying to show a theme of unity and teamwork, it was unfortunately lost somewhat in what seemed to be a statement of the pride of industry built upon the backs of the working class. Perhaps though, this was meant to show that when people work together they can do tremendous things, both positive and negative. I also caught on to the secondary theme of charity, showing the Great Ormand Street Hospital. Perhaps as a message that though London may have contributed to pollution of the environment, it has made up for it through it's humanitarian efforts, making the ceremony in London an honest and introspective look at it's contributions, as well as it's debt to the world. That's just how I came to view it.

~Sheri

[bikerbrom]

Next Little Girl, on 02 August 2012 - 10:29 AM, said:

I also caught on to the secondary theme of charity, showing the Great Ormand Street Hospital.
~Sheri

According to Danny Boyle, that was was a celebration of the National Health Service; everyone chips in a bit all the time, so they can get any medical treatment they need at any time, free at the point of delivery. GOSH = Great Ormond Street Hospital.
(Charity healthcare is considerably different: where our grandparents waited until they were dying beyond help before calling the doctor. Or lived an abbreviated life with the pain and inconvenience of fixable medical problems).
The show sort of joined that part with a celebration of children's literature, so it was all a bit surreal.

[Next Little Girl]

bikerbrom, on 06 August 2012 - 04:05 AM, said:

According to Danny Boyle, that was was a celebration of the National Health Service; everyone chips in a bit all the time, so they can get any medical treatment they need at any time, free at the point of delivery. GOSH = Great Ormond Street Hospital.
(Charity healthcare is considerably different: where our grandparents waited until they were dying beyond help before calling the doctor. Or lived an abbreviated life with the pain and inconvenience of fixable medical problems).
The show sort of joined that part with a celebration of children's literature, so it was all a bit surreal.

A bit! lol!


Thanks for the explanation about the healthcare portion of the ceremony. Our country still remains in the dark ages of medical insurance unfortunately. For the rest of the world, the added surrealistic tone did not help to convey the message. My poem is cast in the confusion that the uninitiated inhabitants of the world surely felt along with me.

But then, I'm sure that the world was trying to figure out why in '96 in the opening ceremony of the Atlanta games in the US, there was the inane procession of thirty mirror-like chrome, 1996 Chevy Silverado Pickup trucks. There was no deep and introspective meaning behind it; it was just cool, something a 16 year old boy would have envisioned. (Actual royals were in your royal box, while our "royal box" housed "Bubba" Clinton!) Cheerleaders spelled out "HOW Y'ALL DOIN'!" Note the exclamation point, rather than a question mark. It gets better. I shall quote the US commentators: "You know, there was some concern here. A lot of people in Atlanta wanted to make sure the ceremony projected sophistication. After all, there are more fortune 500 companies in Atlanta than in any other American city, except for New York, Chicago and Houston, and they're sensitive to the characterization of these games as "The Bubba Games."

~Sheri

[Next Little Girl]

However, to redeem the Atlanta games....




Muhammad Ali actually lit our torch.

~Sheri

[Next Little Girl]

Thank You London

Closing Ceremony of the XXX Olympiad

Miniature London, Little Ben

Strikes the hour, Tower Bridge;

London Eye, cars in newsprint,

"The Winter of Our Discontent."

"Words, words words" for one and all,

Winston Churchill, Timothy Spall:

"I dreamed of clouds... to dream again."

Riches falling from the rain.

"She walks in beauty, like the night"

"A man who is tired of London, is tired of life"

Clanging choir, pots and pans,

STOMP performs musical trash cans.

"Our House" "West End Girls"

Ben Ainslie, Union Jack unfurls;

"Imagine there's no countries" children signed,

John Lennon's portrait is aligned.

"Freedom" "Fashion" "Pinball Wizard"

Fashion police haul giant billboards;

Super models in golden gowns

Naomi smiles, Kate Moss frowns.

Ghostly galleon, gothic scene,

Fallen angel, giant wings:

Annie Lennox, red and black basque

Ladies and Gents don baroque masque.

"Wish You Were Here" Tightrope walkers,

Ed Sheeran and fellow rockers;

Russell Brand shows "Pure Imagination"

"Goo-goo-g'joob" striped-pant sensation.

"Funk Soul Brutha" FatBoy Slim,

Jessie J sings "Price Tag" hymn;

Tinie Tempah, Taio Cruz unite

"Written in the Stars" "Dynamite."

"You Should Be Dancing" "Tell Me What You Want"

Standing ovation, Spice Girls still look hot!

"Wonder Wall" by Beady Eye,

Nerf Herder sang "Mr. Blue Sky."

Canon fire, Eric Idle

"Brighter Side of Life" Bollywood style;

Roller Skating Nuns, Human Cannonball:

Freddy Mercury, Brian May solo.

Roger Taylor, the audience stomped too,

As Jessie J sang "We Will Rock You."

Marisa Monte in a giant umbrella gown,

Dancers in glowing green hats light up the town.

BNegão raps, as Sorriso dances,

Pele appears, Sebastian Coe pronounces,

"When our time came, Britain, we did it right!"

The IOC president is booed outright.

The Olympic flame lowered, revealing a phoenix,

Take That sings, the Olympic flame is extinguished.

Ballerina, Darcey Bussell was "The Spirit of Flame"

Fireworks from her toes, The Who closes the games.

Sheri Lynne

13 August 2012

[Alsatian before The Doors]

Next Little Girl, on 29 July 2012 - 09:21 AM, said:

One thing I would like to expand upon in another poem was the fantastic torch lighting itself! Though the torch has been getting backlash in the media for not being highly visible from a distance, it is in my opinion, the loveliest torch at its inception. Captured on TV, it appeared as a Kaleidoscope of fire. I think your magic touch would be a fitting tribute to that magnificent torch lighting.

~Sheri

On it

[Alsatian before The Doors]

Next Little Girl, on 13 August 2012 - 02:37 PM, said:

The Olympic flame lowered, revealing a phoenix,

Next Little Girl, on 13 August 2012 - 02:37 PM, said:

"The Spirit of Flame"

The Olympic flame is extinguished.

Around the Ceremony to extinguish The Olympic Flame and pass its Spirit to the next recipient nation, London left melodic and spectacular signature, declaring The Games its own for the time it had received them, and its pride in so doing. And it was impressive, wasn't it?

Next Little Girl, on 13 August 2012 - 02:37 PM, said:

Miniature London, Little Ben

Strikes the hour, Tower Bridge;

London Eye, cars in newsprint,

"The Winter of Our Discontent."

They brought London to The Games,

as The Games came to London

and the two combined

to set the stage

for the world to meet

beneath the Olympic banner.

All flags before just one...

..Imagine

Next Little Girl, on 13 August 2012 - 02:37 PM, said:

"Imagine there's no countries" children signed,

John Lennon's portrait is aligned.

Among so many more, artists and musicians of Britain, present and past, joined the procession

Next Little Girl, on 13 August 2012 - 02:37 PM, said:

Ghostly galleon, gothic scene,

Fallen angel, giant wings:

Annie Lennox, red and black basque

Ladies and Gents don baroque masque.

[Alsatian before The Doors]

Next Little Girl, on 13 August 2012 - 02:37 PM, said:

"She walks in beauty, like the night"

Singing to the Queen, as well she might

While...

Next Little Girl, on 13 August 2012 - 02:37 PM, said:

Russell Brand shows "Pure Imagination"

Next Little Girl, on 13 August 2012 - 02:37 PM, said:

"Goo-goo-g'joob" striped-pant sensation.

There was a blast from the past, with a twist

Next Little Girl, on 13 August 2012 - 02:37 PM, said:

Canon fire, Eric Idle

"Brighter Side of Life" Bollywood style;

As Muse sent flaming pillars to the sky

Next Little Girl, on 13 August 2012 - 02:37 PM, said:

"I dreamed of clouds... to dream again."

Riches falling from the rain.

[Alsatian before The Doors]

[Alsatian before The Doors]

As the torch was passed to Brazil

2016

[Next Little Girl]

Alsatian before The Doors, on 15 August 2012 - 10:39 AM, said:

Around the Ceremony to extinguish The Olympic Flame and pass its Spirit to the next recipient nation, London left melodic and spectacular signature, declaring The Games its own for the time it had received them, and its pride in so doing. And it was impressive, wasn't it?

They brought London to The Games,

as The Games came to London

and the two combined

to set the stage

for the world to meet

beneath the Olympic banner.

All flags before just one...

..Imagine

Thank you so much Alsatian,


That was a lovely tribute in photos. It was truly the most impressive and memorable of all the opening ceremonies, and it shows the world the same generosity of spirit and the graciousness that my friends from the UK have shown to me.

~Sheri

[Alsatian before The Doors]

It was great.
I loved it.
I think they may have missed out Muse in coverage over there, State-side. They were on fire. They had a choir behind them that people been saying was on loan from The Devil. Check the way they move, and the force they get into it.

[Next Little Girl]

Alsatian before The Doors, on 01 September 2012 - 04:53 PM, said:

It was great.
I loved it.
I think they may have missed out Muse in coverage over there, State-side. They were on fire. They had a choir behind them that people been saying was on loan from The Devil. Check the way they move, and the force they get into it.

Yes

They didn't air Muse's performance in the U.S. I was angry when I found out. They also put some show on for an hour, interrupting The Who's performance, which I have yet to see. Why!? Absolutely senseless coverage we had in the States.



~Sheri

[Alsatian before The Doors]

Next Little Girl, on 01 September 2012 - 04:59 PM, said:

Yes

They didn't air Muse's performance in the U.S. I was angry when I found out. They also put some show on for an hour, interrupting The Who's performance, which I have yet to see. Why!? Absolutely senseless coverage we had in the States.



~Sheri

What a bunch of