Letters To London
Dear O2
Centre,
You sparkle
like a white shade of brilliant sheen in the sun that glows at high noon,
sitting on the peninsula
of Greenwich
To reach
you one must travel to your heart by the Greenwich Jubilee tube artery. You are
part of London
Today
tickets have sold out for this particular gig. A record breaker so they say at
the box office.
So many
people like tiny ants scurrying along to enter the vastness of your chamber. A
nest of entertainers to entertain the crowd in this creative hub.
I am inside
the creative womb, the monument to the Millennium, an artistic venue. I sit up
there with the Gods as I watch the stage from a far. Watch the camaraderie of people
who have come here to be connected by the music. The energy and vibrations that
echo in this huge arena of Europe .
The band
appears. A rock band to rock the masses. Guitar blazing, drums drumming,
singers singing and everyone sways with the music.
The solid
roof fills with music echoes in the air. I feel uplifted in the caverns of
space, sound and time. The energy, vibrations, a vortex of acoustic sounds that
resonate every cell in my body. My atoms come alive!
Yet not so
long ago you were a sight for sore eyes. A disgrace conjured up by the Tories.
A huge hole in the public purse. You were the “Millennium Dome” or the “Millennium
Doom”?
Described
by some as a blamange sitting in your own moat of mud around the Thames . The river passing you by, meandering like a
silver snake, hissing and cursing you.
A big
circus tent top with your own clowns laughing at you. You were shamed and
disgraced. No one knew what to do with you.
A British embarrassment.
.
Then the
Queen ushered in the Millennium. She was at your helm that night of 31st
December 1999 to steer you through the next thousand years. The huge hull of
your boat coming into land, to be moored and anchored by the Thames .
.
Today you
can be many things to the mind’s eye if you wish.
A sport complex,
a music venue, a museum, a film set, a place to eat and dine serving the most
mouth-watering, flavoured cuisine.
Ahh I
remember the Tutankumun exhibition of
gold. You shone of all the gold artefacts that blinded my eyes. Like Aladdin’s
Cave you came alive with so many hidden Egyptian treasures. It felt like
Tutankumun himself could arise from his grave. You are the Egyptian pyramid of
the 21st century.
Another
treasure you housed was the Millennium Star. A twinkling gem that showed purity
and splendour and left people to stare in awe .How unbelievable it was that
robbers tried to rob your priceless heart. Like something from a James Bond
movie they never got away with their dirty deed.
Many great
bands have passed under your vast bowers and your acoustic sound system is
second to none. Led Zeppelin, Prince, and
the SpiceGirls all have played here. Michael Jackson announced his final
curtain call here but never made it - empty stage empty without him. No final
bow here for MJ.
The concert
has now finished. The applause and the encores are over. People slowly start to
leave. I feel exhilarated. I have enjoyed your show and I hope to see many
more. A powerhouse of sound and energy to tingle my ears.
Now in 2012
you are the centre of attention again. So many Olympians will come to compete
in the London Olympics to compete for gold. The world will be watching with
anticipation and bated breath.
I will be
watching too as the “sunlight “of the Olympic Torch touches your skin and warms
you once again.
Subrata
Saha ( May 2012)
30-30-30
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