Experience (Poetry)
25th January 2015
I can’t remember who in our small group said something
along the lines of ‘That American rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix —
y’know the guy who did Hey Joe and Purple Haze —
is booked to play at the Starlight and he’s supposed to be
amazing live — so does anybody wanna go?
Well, we thought we’d check it out
so went and queued to see the show.
He wasn’t quite that famous yet but getting there.
It was sometime back in 1967 — his first UK tour.
But hey — the rest is history.
The concert more than rocked —
the whole place shook with blasts of sound
like the fabled walls of Jericho were coming down.
And it was as if the audience all knew
that they were witnessing the start of something rare.
We swayed — connected — as though plugged in
to paradise.
In the interval we’d gone up to the bar
which was heaving like an ant’s nest full of noise
and excitement. Good vibes everywhere
like they’d put happy pills in the drinks
or maybe puffed ecstacy into the hot ‘n’ heavy trippy air.
I don’t know what made me turn around
but suddenly he was there.
The crowd had parted Red Sea-wise
to let him through.
I stood blinking with surprise — almost touching
the larger-than-lifeness of him —
all teeth and hair —
electricity buzzing like a halo
he grinned at me before
the crowd swallowed him again.
I’ve held that vision more than forty years
still vivid in the senses — the experience
almost holy ...
Like a psychedelic comet-streak
he dazzled me in passing —
thrilled the night.
along the lines of ‘That American rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix —
y’know the guy who did Hey Joe and Purple Haze —
is booked to play at the Starlight and he’s supposed to be
amazing live — so does anybody wanna go?
Well, we thought we’d check it out
so went and queued to see the show.
He wasn’t quite that famous yet but getting there.
It was sometime back in 1967 — his first UK tour.
But hey — the rest is history.
The concert more than rocked —
the whole place shook with blasts of sound
like the fabled walls of Jericho were coming down.
And it was as if the audience all knew
that they were witnessing the start of something rare.
We swayed — connected — as though plugged in
to paradise.
In the interval we’d gone up to the bar
which was heaving like an ant’s nest full of noise
and excitement. Good vibes everywhere
like they’d put happy pills in the drinks
or maybe puffed ecstacy into the hot ‘n’ heavy trippy air.
I don’t know what made me turn around
but suddenly he was there.
The crowd had parted Red Sea-wise
to let him through.
I stood blinking with surprise — almost touching
the larger-than-lifeness of him —
all teeth and hair —
electricity buzzing like a halo
he grinned at me before
the crowd swallowed him again.
I’ve held that vision more than forty years
still vivid in the senses — the experience
almost holy ...
Like a psychedelic comet-streak
he dazzled me in passing —
thrilled the night.