Category Archives: Narrative Poems

Heartbeat . a poem by Alice B. Clagett

Written and published on 1 August 2021

  • HEARTBEAT, a poem by Alice B. Clagett

Dear Ones,

Here is a poem I wrote recently about an event that happened to long ago someone I loved …

HEARTBEAT
A Poem by Alice B. Clagett

She had a
heartbeat
like the flutter
of a bird’s
wings.

It seemed too little
to sustain
life

and, in the end,
it proved to be
just so

. . . . .

–from Link: “Heartbeat,” a poem by Alice B. Clagett, written and published on 1 August 2021 … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-ocG ..

Alice Clagett


Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Except where otherwise noted, “The Chalice and the Crucible” by Alice B. Clagett … https://chaliceandcrucible.com/ … is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0) … https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ..


 

Ice: A Murder Plot! . a poem by Alice B. Clagett

Ice: A Murder Plot!

Image: “Sleeping Girl,” attributed to Sigismondo Coccapani (1583-1643); attributed to Domenico Fetti (1589-), 1620-1622, in Wikimedia Commons … https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Domenico_Fetti_-_Sleeping_Girl_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg … public domain ..

Image: “Sleeping Girl,” attributed to Sigismondo Coccapani (1583-1643); attributed to Domenico Fetti (1589-), 1620-1622, in Wikimedia Commons … https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Domenico_Fetti_-_Sleeping_Girl_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg … public domain

To turn off the spooky background music, click once or twice on the arrow on the audio bar at the bottom of the page …

  • VIDEO BY ALICE
  • SUMMARY OF THE VIDEO
    • “Ice: A Murder Plot!” a Poem by Alice B. Clagett, Soundtrack and Words

Dear Ones,

Here is a poem called “Ice: A Murder Plot!” about what I intuited might be a well-laid murder plot in the Wild West. I was, I feel, the intended victim. Luckily I escaped ‘before the fact’, unscathed. There is a Summary after the video …

VIDEO BY ALICE

SUMMARY OF THE VIDEO

Dear Ones, It’s Alice. I Am of the Stars.

This is a poem called “Ice: A Murder Plot!” …

. . . . .

“Ice: A Murder Plot!”
A Poem by Alice B. Clagett
Soundtrack and Words
19 September 2019

This is a fictional, narrative poem.

 

I said, I’m a charity trust trustee
Ought I stay on the board or leave it?

He said, Why live with clutter?

Out of the corner of my eye
I looked round at his office

No papers, no books, no cabinets
Just a laptop and a printer

Ok, I said. I agree

As he handed me the paper to sign
his eyes cut like a razor

.   .  .

He said, Here are your POA forms
One is for power over health
the other for just about everything else

If you want
my wife and I
can provide that service for you

His eyes looked clear, like river ice
early on, in the winter

Ok, I said. I will sign them

.   .  .

His eyes turned blue like the midday sky
as he handed me the papers

Here’s a form, he said,
that I always advise
it’s important for your children

After 3 days they pull the plug
it saves them from commotion

I said, I don’t like that form at all!
Look at me – I’m the picture of perfect health
and then, I have no children

His eyes glinted like sun on snow
He said, My advice is to sign it.

.   .  .

He opened the door to show me out
Then stopped for half a second

My wife, he said, does health massage

I said, May I have her number?

.   .  .
.   .  .

She said, I can’t see you at my job
They’re fixing the floor in my office.
I’ll do the massage at our home instead

Her voice was like raspberry jam on toast
Why did that concern me?

What day? I asked
with a frog in my throat

She said, I’ll get back to you

Two weeks later, I found the door
of the place where she and her husband lived

Here, she said, is my new massage table

Her hand touched the cloth
in the way that a priest
offers the Sunday Eucharist

.   .  .

I don’t disrobe for massage, I said
I hope you can work around that

Her lips froze
Her eyes assessed
Her hip touched the edge of the table gently

Would that be ok? I asked

Ok, she said. Lie down here.

.   .  .

This is a new technique, she said
You’ll be the first to try it
and she explained cerebrally
the ins and outs of the method

Then out of the blue, it seemed to me,
she said, Do you know Catherine?
I have known her for years, she said
and I really like her

My eyes froze, then relaxed. O yeah.
It’s Catherine that’s working back in town
next door to this young lady

A hunch formed in the back of my mind
Then disappeared
before I could see
more than a claw
or the look on the face of it

.   .  .

A man in a hat
that concealed his face
walked in from the yard

As he cleared the lintel I saw
the door was still half open

His shadow lay
like a long black line
on the floor at the foot of the table

Who’s that? I asked

O, she said,
He’s just a gawker from next door
You don’t mind, do you?

I said, Yes I do!

The stranger stopped inching towards us

He turned round in the cool dim room
felt for the door with his left hand
and stumbled into the sunlight

.   .  .

My blood turned hot.
My hands got cold
My heart got a speeding ticket

I sat up.

My gosh, I have to go!
Here, let me pay you

. . . . .

In love, light and joy,
Alice B. Clagett
I Am of the Stars

Written on 19 September 2019; published on 21 September 2019; revised on 6 April 2023 and on 29 May 2023
Added poem to: Tiny Anthologies: Wild West Poems

NOTES: As you may know, ‘to ice’ is an old time slang word that means ‘to murder’ … to ‘send to the morgue’, where it is icy cold.

… and POA means ‘power of attorney’.

See also … Link: “Elder Euthanasia for Profit: Truth or Fiction?” by Alice B. Clagett, written and published on 10 April 2022 … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-qLk ..

Here is background information … Link: “Alice’s Perilous Tales: Murder in the Wild West,” a story by Alice B. Clagett, written and published on 8 August 2020 … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-jrE ..


 

Music by SergeQuadrado from Pixabay
Detective – Pixabay License

…………………..

–from Link: “Ice: A Murder Plot!” a Poem by Alice B. Clagett, written on 19 September 2019; published on 21 September 2019 … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-eio ..

Alice B. Clagett


Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Except where otherwise noted, “The Chalice and the Crucible” by Alice B. Clagett … https://chaliceandcrucible.com/ … is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0) … https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ..


 

Ode to the Risen Christ . channeled by Alice B. Clagett

Written and published on 26 December 2019

  • VIDEO BY ALICE
  • SUMMARY OF THE VIDEO
    • Ode to the Risen Christ, channeled by Alice B. Clagett, Soundtrack and Words

Dear Ones,

Here is a poem for Christmas 2019. There is a Summary after the video …

VIDEO BY ALICE

SUMMARY OF THE VIDEO

This is a poem called “Ode to the Risen Christ,” channeled by Alice B. Clagett. The occasion is Christmas; the year is 2019 …

Ode to the Risen Christ
Channeled by Alice B. Clagett
Soundtrack and Words
26 December 2019

 

Ode to the Risen Christ
channeled by Alice B. Clagett
26 December 2019

What’ll we do with this James Dean Christian
Shall we declare him officially missin’ ?
What an amazing life he has led
From altar boy to dread Mordred

Shaper of altar cloths into a dress
For his mom who because of her faith misses
Beautiful clothes, as her beautiful boys
Need bottles and Bibles and breakfasts and toys

Murderer of pastor who under duress
Feared to reprove the dad who did worse
Than he ought – having been taught
Forgiveness for condom use cannot be bought

Black Mass provider for them that believe
Our church to be landed, while homeless folks grieve
Our church to be well fed while hungred cry out
And woeful from wealful are wryly pried out

Cozener of pride, crafter of wrong
Among those we depend on to keep our church strong
Fingerer of foothold in fondness or lust
In one who espouses felonious trust

Finder of failings in mighty and true
men who care not for hoodoo –
Anchor of angels to dark angel lands
Forcer of lightworkers, binder of hands
Maker, upstaker of daft demon bands

Speak we of ‘antichrist’, yet there are many
who speak in the plural, and say there are plenty
More than a handful of james Dean Christians
Who are quick to promote their own Dark visions

End Times can be tough, as such often prevail
In hostile takeovers – harrowing tale –
Church after church goes down in the dust
Of the man who makes millions and owns not a crust

Come hell or high water he grabs us and takes us
Down to the place where the hell fire bakes us
Tossing kith, dissing kin, foxed by rosy cloud cover
We abandon our lives for this demon lover

Say, what will we do with this James Dean Christian?
When all’s said and done, it is we that are missin’
the point, for the old must be left for the New
Each Christian must weather the Satan crew

How can we counter his trickster word?
What can we grasp but the cross and the sword?
Who then can save us but Christ who strides
Diffusing bright grace through the light’ning skies?

Today is the day to bid Satan adieu
And rise with the risen Christ anew
And bless the hour that we were born
Along with the child that the Magi adorn

Good Christmas to all and a wondrous New Year
And may Satan’s works fall flat on their ear
As Christians worldwide arise to the call
Of Christ and his works that hold Darkness in thrall –
Of God and His purpose held highest of all.

……………

–from Link: “Ode to the Risen Christ,” channeled by Alice B. Clagett, written and published on 26 December 2019 … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-fKP ..

Alice B. Clagett


Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Except where otherwise noted, “The Chalice and the Crucible” by Alice B. Clagett … https://chaliceandcrucible.com/ … is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0) … https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ..


 

The Gatorade Kid . a poem by Alice B. Clagett

Written on 25 October 2019; published on 25 October 2019; video published on 24 November 2019
Added poem to: Tiny Anthologies: Wild West Poems

  • VIDEO BY ALICE
  • SUMMARY OF THE VIDEO
    • The Gatorade Kid, a poem by Alice B. Clagett, Soundtrack and Words

Dear Ones,

Here is a poem for you, about a tragic story part 3D and part 4D, that unfolded in Durango, Colorado, four years ago. Sometimes there is no way to redress the wrongs of the world except through story-telling, poetry, art, or song …

VIDEO BY ALICE

SUMMARY OF THE VIDEO

The Gatorade Kid
A Poem by Alice B. Clagett
25 October 2019
Soundtrack and Words

 

There was a kid
who lived outside
He lived right behind
The Iron Horse Inn

When the snows came
He would beg those within
for a chance to stay warm
from dusk to dawn.

The rent he paid was
a goofy grin
and if they required it –
a night’s love-in

One day I heard
a car drive by
I heard, offhand:
Would you like a ride?

and the kid said: Sure!

They stopped just offroad
in an evergreen aisle.
The man at the wheel
said with a smile:

Kid, wanna go the mile?
I can make it worth your while!

and the kid said: Sure!

Then I saw the boy’s face
contorted in pain
Oh! Why does it feel so strange?

He fell down bleeding by a back tire
On the ground down snow
‘Twixt the car and the lane

Two men guffawed
and drove away

The next day I walked out
my motel door
hoping to see
the boy’s face once more

I saw his Gatorade lying there
in a snowdrift
by a new guest’s door

It was tipped sideways.
It was half full –
the liquid bright blue
on the shoveled snow

Next day I walked out
with a flutter of hope
like a blue bird tangled
up in my heart

I saw the Gatorade
sunk in the snow
and my heart checked out
of the Iron Horse Inn.

……………

–from Link: “The Gatorade Kid . a poem by Alice B. Clagett, written on 25 October 2019; published on 25 October 2019; video published on 24 November 2019 … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-eHr ..

Alice B. Clagett


Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Except where otherwise noted, “The Chalice and the Crucible” by Alice B. Clagett … https://chaliceandcrucible.com/ … is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0) … https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ..


 

On the Drowning of a Child . a poem by Alice B. Clagett

Filmed on 20 July 2016; published on 29 July 2016

  • VIDEO BY ALICE
  • SUMMARY OF THE VIDEO
    • On the Drowning of a Child, a Poem by Alice B. Clagett
drowning

Image: “Diptych: Footsteps in the Sand,” by Alice B. Clagett, 20 July 2016, CC BY-SA 4.0, from “Awakening with Planet Earth,” https://awakeningwithplanetearth.com … DESCRIPTION: On the left, footsteps in sand on a beach. On the right, white-flecked surf has erased the footsteps.

Image: “Diptych: Footsteps in the Sand,” by Alice B. Clagett, 20 July 2016, CC BY-SA 4.0, from “Awakening with Planet Earth,” https://awakeningwithplanetearth.com … DESCRIPTION: On the left, footsteps in sand on a beach. On the right, white-flecked surf has erased the footsteps.

Dear Ones,

This video is about the drowning of a child in the Pacific Ocean a while ago, about death, reincarnation, and God’s plan. There is an edited Summary after the video …

VIDEO BY ALICE

SUMMARY OF THE VIDEO

Hello, Dear Ones, It’s Alice. I Am of the Stars.

I hope you can hear me over the din of the tide here … the great Pacific Ocean. I have a short story for you. It happened today …

. . . . .

On the Drowning of a Child
A Poem by Alice B. Clagett
20 July 2016

A little girl died at the beach today.
It was surf camp.
The tide came in
and the children went out
and she got caught
in the undertow.

The paramedics and the ambulances
and the helicopters came.
They found the body.

The tide came in
and the tide went out.
This is what life is all about.

When things like this happen
folks tend to say:

It was the fault of the surfing school.
It was the fault of the mother and father.
It was the fault of the sand and the ocean.
It was the fault of something!

But the truth of the matter is
When the call comes
the call comes
and there’s always something wonderful
waiting in the wings

Here on earth
sitting on the sand on the beach
waiting for the tide to come in
and the tide to go out

We don’t know
what the great Plan is
But the tide that goes out
will come back in.

Blessings!
Blessings of love and Light to this child’s Soul,
and to her family, and to those who ran the surf school,
and to those who came to help, and did their best.

. . . . .

[Then there is a short videoclip of a raven walking along the beach, and flying off]

In love, light and joy,
I Am of the Stars

See also … Link: “On the New Children Coming in to Earth,” by Alice B. Clagett, filmed on 21 July 2019; published on 29 July 2016 … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-5WO ..
…………………..

–from Link: “On the Drowning of a Child,” by Alice B. Clagett, filmed on 20 July 2016; published on 29 July 2016 … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-5WC ..

Alice B. Clagett


Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Except where otherwise noted, “The Chalice and the Crucible” by Alice B. Clagett … https://chaliceandcrucible.com/ … is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0) … https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ..


 

Warm Water Wash . a poem by Alice B. Clagett

Created on 20 September 2019; published on 21 September 2019

WARM WATER WASH
A Poem by Alice B. Clagett
20 September 2019

Two kids were in the laundry room.
15, 16, and very with it
They knew the ropes
They knew they could be there
in the daytime, to keep warm

Maybe they worked nights
in that Wild West town
stashing the cash
for a trip to Purgatory

. . .

Hey!
Hey! with a shrug
a half-pivot away
a sideways sritter
of downcast eyes

. . .

When snow lies thick
on the motel drive
may the laundry room door
stay open for ’em

May the vending machines
cough up the goods
when they shake ’em

May their mothers
know where they are
and pray for ’em

May God himself
warm their hearts at night
when the blizzard
don’t give a damn for ’em

…………………..

Alice B. Clagett


Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Except where otherwise noted, “The Chalice and the Crucible” by Alice B. Clagett … https://chaliceandcrucible.com/ … is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0) … https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ..


 

What’s a Doc to Do? . a poem by Alice B. Clagett

Written on 7 October 2018; published on 22 October 2018

  • WHAT’S A DOC TO DO? a Poem by Alice B. Clagett

Dear Ones,

Here is a poem I wrote for a creative writing class on 7 October 2018. The assignment was to describe the air, sounds, and movement of the Light that day …

. . . . .

WHAT’S A DOC TO DO?
A Poem by Alice B. Clagett
7 October 2018

From the depths of this that is
arising . . .
…..brand spanking
……….Soul searing
……………Too bright to look at

right on, way better
than anyone suspected:
………………………..               Golden Breeze Blown morning

Better than
….a baby’s first
………forlorn, bewildered,
…………..top o’ the lungs
………………..Bronx cheer
…………………                  …to All this hullabaloo
…………………..                  .we Big folks feel
………………….                   .is just ..what life . oughta be !

How dare !
…..This red-faced
……….tight fisted
……………tiny tadpole

YELL So LOUD
…..about his borning?

……………

–from Link: “What’s a Doc to Do?” a poem by Alice B. Clagett, written on 7 October 2018; published on 22 October 2018 … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-azw ..

Alice B. Clagett


Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Except where otherwise noted, “The Chalice and the Crucible” by Alice B. Clagett … https://chaliceandcrucible.com/ … is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0) … https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ..