Poem by Jeffrey McDaniel

Raymond


It was rumored that as a fourth grader 
his mother dropped him on his psyche
making it surrender its illusion of unity.


Imagine a fusion of a cherub 
and a cracked windshield 
and you get the gist.


Imagine yellow shoelaces enhancing
the ocean green of his eyes.


He was the burned out bulb 
behind the x in Exit,
as the electrical chord insinuated
what a good noose it would be.


That slink in his smile, that fishhook 
tugging on his upper right lip, 
which even in photographs provides 
the hint of motion, as if an angel
is luring him up to heaven.

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Jeffrey McDaniel (born 1967) is an American poet.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.BA, Sarah Lawrence College. MFA, George Mason University. Author of five books of poetry, most recently Chapel of Inadvertent Joy (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2013). Other books include The Endarkenment (Pittsburgh, 2008), The Splinter Factory (Manic D Press, 2002), The Forgiveness Parade (Manic D Press, 1998), and Alibi School (Manic D Press, 1995). His poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Best American Poetry in 1994 and 2010. Recipient of an NEA Fellowship. He is a professor of creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College.

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