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Writer's pictureE.T.Milligan

Ode to the Legend of Antonio Archangel: A Poem by E.T. Milligan

from the poetry book ‘Images of Life’


Ode to the Legend of Antonio Archangel: A Poem from the poetry book ‘Images of Life’ by E.T. Milligan

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.


 



A New Beginning by E.T. Milligan, a poem from the book Images of Life by Edward T. Milligan

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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