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Half Myths & Quarter Legends

R L Raymond

R"L"Raymond"–"H

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Epic!Rites!Press!,!$13.50!www.epicrites.org!

dumbstruck"

he"picks"up"the"knife"

wipes"it"on"his"jeans"

eyes"locked"on"the"toad"

backs"away"

terrified"

"

it"didn’t"blink"but"he"heard"it"say"

now$you’ve$gone$and$done$it$boy$

"

Half Myths

&

Quarter Legends

Poems by R L Raymond

Epic Rites Press

They did

cremate her

then scattered her ashes behind the house

on a cloudless sunday

Chris took care

of all the other details

for his aunt’s memorial

there were pictures

and recipes

family and friends

they told stories about her and Tom

laughed

and cried

and said the baking

couldn’t hold a candle to hers

in the end that’s all she’d really wanted

11

They visit

the abbey recommended

by slick photos and snazzy blurbs on the promotional pamphlets.

It’s raining

when they arrive—

everything dull and grey.

Inside, the stink of old incense hangs from the walls as if nailed there

centuries back.

There’s barely enough brightness

to illuminate the stained glass

revealing scenes of sadness and suffering.

Just one panel,

tucked away behind a distant pew,

shines with a certain lightness and hope.

That is the only picture

she takes, with him in the frame,

smiling.

19

It was cherished

beyond all the other books

dog-eared stained

its pages read

‘til they fell

from the bindings

she ran inside

the second he’d cut a sprig

belting out:

it’s like rogue oregano comes back every year taking over the damn garden…

she slipped the tome

from the shelf

flipped to great-gran’s recipe

for “fabled” lamb

written in exotic cursive

they didn’t teach anymore

with notes from aunts and daughters

her own mother had used a ruler

to underline some ingredients cross out others—faintly

so the original still showed through—

with suggested substitutions

with a scribe’s reverence she penciled in

33

below the loops and curlicues

to the right of the word

oregano

ROGUE

34

Within

pitch dark

where stars whiten at the death—albeit short-lived—

of the streetlamp

cycle-timed for conservation

frogs creak and croak

he hears them

echoed reflected

deflected

from neighbouring houses with windows

open to the calm evening air

that carries the din

there are no thieves conspiring

or ne’er-do-wells whispering

plans for mischief

only frogs

those night-sounds that bounce against constructions and preconceptions

37

Her meaning of quotidian

Mid-morning light

floods the library floor warming the wood slats

that creak

then settle back under the furniture.

Early spring

makes it easy to overlook

the mouse turds along the baseboard

and the dust along the transoms.

On a side table, a dog-eared classic;

from the kitchen, a waft of French Vanilla.

Eventually the Electrolux kills Faulkner

and streak-free windows stink of ammonia.

52

Old men walk to their graves

wringing their hands

remembering backroom deals and women with soft palms

always fragrant

gentle

temporary

they meet in cemeteries

wearing old hats from movies about honour

among thieves

they greet one another

secretly counting the rings

on their fingers patting their pockets

to make sure their wallets

are still there

they tell stories

about the ladies they had

and didn’t have

still wringing their hands

they take bets

on who will be first

to fall into the hole laughing quietly at the fact

that no one will collect that final prize

71

!!

R" L" Raymond" is" a"writer" from"Ontario," Canada."By" blurring" the" line" between" poetry" and" short"fiction," he" produces" narratives" that" can" engage"anyone." Published" in" dozens" of" literary" and"underground" journals" around" the" world," with"three" collections" under" his" belt," Raymond" just"wants" to" break" down" the" walls" and" tell" his"stories."

"Also!Available:!

"Sonofabitch+Poems"B"PigeonBike"Press"

Weakdays"B"Corrupt"Press"Half+Myths+&+Quarter+Legends"B"Epic"Rites"Press"

!!!

For!more!information:!"

www.RLRaymond.ca""

www.about.me/RLRaymond""

""