Easter Sunrise Service at Hollywood Bowl
By Orv Alveshere
OUTDOOR WORSHIP IMPRESSIVE FOR THOUSANDS
Several interesting tickets came to my desk at work,
Where my soldier duty was the Army Battery Clerk.
The package contained outdoor amphitheater reserved seats;
Those tickets would become one of my most memorable treats.
Twelve soldiers were invited to the Hollywood Bowl,
A pre-dawn Easter morning arrival would be our goal.
We arrived at a most unusual time: 5:21.
Starting time was one half-hour prior to the risen sun.
AN UNFORGETTABLE EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE
Arriving at the Bowl, nestled below the mountain cliff,
Checking our tickets and seat numbers, wondering if
We would be in the back row and extremely far away.
We were then ushered to the middle, so, our fears allay.
We could see the speakers, choir, and scenery very well.
There was an unexpected surprise that we would retell,
Of an Easter sunrise experience second to none.
Easter’s service in progress, awaiting the rising sun.
LETTERS AS TALL AS A TWO-STORY HOUSE
Above the podium, we saw the Bowl advertising sign;
Of alpha characters high up and distant, near the skyline,
Each letter was as tall as a two-story house in height.
The name “HOLLYWOOD” could then be read in the dawning light.
Each person was awestruck, when the tip of the sun appeared,
From above the sign. It was a sight that’s always revered.
A keepsake, “momentous” moment, to each and everyone;
Watching the progressive sunrise, and then, the risen sun.
A SYMBOL HELPS US UNDERSTAND EASTER
It was then we knew that a 5:21 a.m. start
Was strategically planned specifically to impart
An awe inspiring milestone to carry through life.
The event was moving, it was impressive, it was rife
With emotion. The sun rose directly, over the sign.
The Hollywood Bowl was built, facing east, in direct line
So that in rapt attention, we could view the risen sun;
And find an Easter connection to God’s Risen Son.
Copyright Orv Alveshere 1994
Orv Alveshere grew up hanging on a horse; “Neighbors claim they never saw us walking,” he says of self and brother, and AKN-BREAK ACRES, where bones broke, horses were trained.
“I’m copyrighted, claim to make nonsense out of sense, sense out of nonsense. Maybe 90% fact, 5% embellishment, 5% fiction.” Orv has written 250 poems at last count, spent 20 years at Medora Cowboy Poetry Gathering, including having done opening acts. He is the winner of three writing contests, had some work nationally published, including “AM AT THE MILLENNIUM: BEST POEMS OF THE CENTURY.” Orv resides in Rancho Mirage, CA.
