More Perfectly Plausible Explanations

Maurice Oliver

Two days later you will die.

You will be swallowed-up by a surprisingly large

red mullet dipped in honey and served with a

tossed green salad. Not all the swords will be in

museums and no one will want to sit in dusty

deckchairs. Send your own flowers. Choose the

proper urn ahead of time. Introduce yourself to

the undertaker by using the code-name Vinny.

Memorize the word for obituary in German.

Order Chinese food for your last meal and make

sure they include extra soy sauce. Eat slowly.

Beware of lumberjacks in plain shirts and pillows

with soiled pillowcases. Practice holding your

arms out like hawk wings and donate your car to

charity. And when the wait becomes unbearable

walk east three blocks until you come to the

five-gabled house with a weedy front yard. The

house will have no significance but it will be the

place where your new journey begins. Rub the

curbside fire hydrant three times then prepare

to take off in the lightning storm. You’ll catch the

attention of any passers-by but the fire hydrant

will merely yawn. Expect it. Keep the faith. Do

not allow myself to become sidetracked. It soon

will be time to sacrifice a sacred calf to the

woodland god. But first things first. Proceed to

unfold the lid on the nearest box of Chinese take-

away, letting out a starchy whiff of steam. It’s

the rice.

After almost a decade of working as a freelance photographer in Europe, Maurice Oliver returned to America in 1990. Then, in 1995, he made a life-long dream reality by traveling around the world for eight months. But instead of taking pictures, he recorded the experience in a journal which eventually became poems. And so began his desire to be a poet. His poetry has appeared in numerous national and international publications and literary websites including Potomac Journal, Pebble Lake Review, Frigg Magazine, Dandelion Magazine (Canada), Stride Magazine (UK), Cha Asian Literary Journal (Hong Kong), Kritya (India), Blueprint Review Germany) and Arabesques Review (Algeria). His forth chapbook is One Remedy Is Travel (Origami Condom, 2007). He is the editor of the literary and arts ezine Concelebratory Shoehorn Review on the web at:

www.concelebratory.blogspot.com  He lives and works as a private tutor in Portland, OR.