The Cannon roared

On a sunny Saturday all the compatriots of Ray gathered in his yard yesterday.  Brian charged the cannon Ray had so carefully cast and crafted.  Like the fuse Ray lit in so many lives, Brian lit Ray's farewell fuse on the cannon.  The blast was aimed at Stanton. Ray woke Stanton up a long time ago with his projects to enhance the sleepy little town. The cannon had been charged with newspaper.  That meant word shot out everywhere.  That was Ray. Ray was outspoken for what he believed in be it art or politics.  If more people would come out of their shell life would be better.  So Ray is gone, but so much of what he did lives on.  No more will some loud pickup truck that should have a teenager in it, or some thumping motorcycle, or the dignified white Cadillac pull into our driveway.  The days of wonderful chats on the back porch or at the kitchen table have ended, but will always fondly be thought of.  One by one all of us will go to the great beyond.  Most of us will not head that direction from the end of a cannon, but that is how Ray should get there.  In the great beyond Ray will come tumbling down out of the sky.  After he shakes off the dust his first question will be " What do you want to build?".