Spice Girls
For only the third time
in over twenty months
Ray ventures out to meet the big screen
as if it was a giant all devouring worm
Just four-over-sized letters on the marquee
Such momentous power and dignity
surely it will run for weeks
I'm over in Splash Pad park
across a frantic boulevard
launch time into near space
Masks shall be worn
beyond this point
I assume position for take off
The film unwinds for a very long time
Fortunately I saw David Lynch's version of the story
and so was vaguely able to follow the rather grim and often dreary plot
The visual effects, style and design were certainly impressive
in the sort of jaded ennui inherent in digitally enhanced cinema
As happened with the recent James Bond film,
and was more challenging in this talky film,
I cannot understand the dialogue due to the state of my hearing
and the broadness of the sound
and that the dialogue is rarely seen spoken in close-up
I can understand the same scenes on my cell phone ear buds
But here the mighty Dolby system overwhelms my tired tympana
I can hear everything other than the words almost too intensely
It ends with the credits over a pulsing sand storm
I was outside on the sidewalk
While the credits were still rolling
A mere two and one half hour diversion
I blended in this long-lasting strain
and took an outside intermission to refresh my spice
my fuel of enchantment for the long galactic flight
It so happened I chose the final showing
on the theater's largest screen
After two weeks at the top it was stepping aside
I suspect it is not everyone's cup of spice tea
It was becoming old news as I watched it
Reduced to second fiddle
it is written
Smaller type now
on the same marquee were it loomed so large
on my way inside
Time has come
for Ray to mount up and ride off
into West Oakland
Just a pleasant wait for the #12 bus
across Grand Avenue
Lots of people passing on foot
Kinetics lights of the theater and the traffic
in the new early dark
in the new early dark
Another light-bulb overkill marquee
from the window of my passing bus
from the window of my passing bus
from a distant planet it's home to a spicy supper
4 November 2021
