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Poem: The Legend of Lanigan

Posted on September 28, 2011October 17, 2022 by David Barker

as we drive into Lanigan
population next to nothing
a pull out and a sign
and on the sign a map
and above the map in bold-
faced caps the word LEGEND
I’m not thinking cartography
and imagine a bright marquee
flashing The Legend of Lanigan
like The Legend of Zelda
every place has its legend
here we see its traces
here the dusty gravel roads
here the façades like on a wild
west movie set here the rusted
rolling stock by the railside
legend is what archaeology
destroys and I with my hammer
chip away at Lanigan

Railway track and grain elevator

Download the complete collection of poems and accompanying photographs as a pdf book.

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