from the poetry book ‘Images of Life’
I was inspired to write this poem as a reflection of my pleasure with writing detective fiction novels and I wondered what it would’ve been like to be a detective, renowned for being a clever sleuth to solve cases in the 19th Century.
Ode to the Legend of Antonio Archangel A Poem by E.T. Milligan
po-faced he was,
wondering sometimes thoughtless,
like winter’s fallen specks,
high-collard, trim-brimmed, slew-footed,
he whitled lighted as passerby,
yet careful to keep his biorhythms in check,
then, with point introspect
he attunes himself to a distant window
for countless days and hours, patiently
waiting for a clue, just a subtle club
patient, posed and proverbial
assured there’s nothing he can’t do,
yet rarely a case of mischief would he pursue
except for one of crude fascination
or a taste for intrigue which he’d view
that such pettiness would dare remove him
from chasing felonious villains
assured he’d catch them
even if ‘catch-as-catch-can’ beset him,
for never a case would be abort,
unless clandestine of some sort
never had the township seen
such an open-minded sleuth,
often found in cahoots,
rolling up his ranglan sleeves
to counter badged authorities
i’d rather crack a hard-boiled egg,
across my flaming, balding head
than accept their methods to deduce!
that he more than often said,
therein, he’d aggressively track
the most unlikely of suspects
wherever his omniscience lead him
his name was proclaimed, near and far,
from Canterbury to Manchester Bay
antonio, antonio, archangel you are
endowed by his own heroic success
his cracked cases reached three forty-four
but on three forty-five, his cover was broke
like the spirit of an old black beauty
like a wonder colt, once free and gold
by a crooked informant named Elliot Gold,
it became the proverbial, ‘all she wrote’
with six pellets to his balding head
the legend archangel was sadly dead
though legends come as legends go
few fulfill promise as Baroriou, Leroux,
that practitioners become private eyes
in clever disguise as clever sleuths
who never wonder how effective
devices aimed at deceiving detective
or never see unbreakable alibis, broken
or even crack a case of a missing vase
or any ingeniously plotted crime
hidden by one’s own verisimilitude
amid footsteps and memories marching away
to eager escorts of descending time
yet, time had never been one to tangle
with one as renown, as the regal Archangel.
Copyright © Edward T. Milligan, 2005
All rights reserved.
If you were moved by "Man to Man" by E.T. Milligan and its powerful portrayal of conflict resolution and unity, you might find deep resonance in another poem that explores similar themes of resilience and healing. Consider reading "A New Beginning" by E.T. Milligan, a celebration of the indomitable spirit of survivors. This poem eloquently captures the journey from darkness to light, embodying the essence of rebirth and the pursuit of justice and inner peace.
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