Ode to the Dome

Folks around downtown Indy gathered today to watch our beloved Hoosier/RCA Dome’s deflation. It’s enough to make one feel downright poetic, so here goes:

"Deflation: Ode to the Dome"

By M.L. Ottinger

Your big top falling
With the foreman’s calling,
We remember Blue fans bawling
And coaches calling suspect plays.

Then came down a twist of fate,
As the lovely Sunshine State
Beheld to us Tony the Great –
A cerebral, calm, and subdued gaze.

Quiet strength with Peyton’s arm,
A line to keep him safe from harm,
Two-minute drills without alarm,
Chicken soup for sad fans’ souls.

Suppressed by revolutioneers,
New England topped us several years;
Then one day came a thousand cheers.
We’d won us a Super Bowl!

For many decades musical tunes
Graced your walls as ballads boomed.
The Piano Man and Elton crooned,
“About her, she’s got a way.”

You fed our state’s beautiful addiction
To Final Fours, like benedictions.
Hoops inspire our soul’s conviction;
Free throws line our DNA.

As your roof drops to your floor,
Your brother watches right next door.
How long ago was ’84?
Those memories of fortune kissed.

Your cheers will cease to deplete,
Echoing down Capitol Street.
Beholding all your glory’s feats,
Goodbye, sweet dome, you will be missed.