Author Archives: alicebarrett

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About alicebarrett

Small town writer

On the Porch

Posted on December 7, 2015 by alicebarrett

  Listen to the quiet between the passing cars. Listen to the quiet after the neighbors argue. . Feel the rough pod before you break open the milkweed. Rest before speaking. (Under the blister, soft skin is healing.) . Under … Continue reading →

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Tim and the Tiny Man

Posted on December 2, 2015 by alicebarrett

Tim looked down as he came over the knell And a tiny man with shears was squatting there. . Tim stopped in amazement and stared, And as he did, the tiny man leaned over his shadow. . Tim’s shadow stopped … Continue reading →

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Black Woman God

Posted on September 21, 2015 by alicebarrett

Black Madonna of Czestochowa . .Creation is the fruit of thy womb. Painful memories and the souls’ dark spaces – The fly in the spider’s web – No suffering is ignored, No despair unfelt by you, No grief belittled. . … Continue reading →

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A great Waiting

Posted on September 2, 2015 by alicebarrett

Visions of jeweled trees are visions. Visions of dreaming gods are visions. I have one vision. . With open eyes I see life in quiet stones. Every pebble sits. Every green tree sits and breathes. Everywhere is a great Waiting. … Continue reading →

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I Hate Autumn

Posted on August 26, 2015 by alicebarrett

I hate autumn. The colors, the wind, the chill, the wilted plants. Autumn is the drama queen of the year, Always in crisis, Flinging beauty about recklessly. . Autumn gets under your skin. Sneakier than winter, more glamorous than spring. … Continue reading →

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The Wound

Posted on June 21, 2015 by alicebarrett

Rupture breaks through the skin, Bleeds, leaves a gash, cools. Comes to rest. On my back the cooled flow Creates a ridge, a gap. I watch the searing glow solidify, A map of its path across flesh. I scratch the … Continue reading →

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What It Is

Posted on June 17, 2015 by alicebarrett

What a Tree Is “Beloved, gaze in thine own heart, The holy tree is growing there….” Yeats Nothing is just what it is. Look at that tree. See centuries of meaning on its bark, Put there by poets since cave … Continue reading →

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The Shielding Tree by Black Elk

Posted on December 13, 2014 by alicebarrett

    The international conference on the climate is being held in Lima, Peru. This poem is by Black Elk.   Hey! Lean to hear my feeble voice. At the center of the sacred hoop You have said that I … Continue reading →

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Daily Kitchen Counter Love Notes

Posted on November 29, 2014 by alicebarrett

Part of “30 poems in November” fundraiser for The Center for New Americans (www.cna.com). Support them by clicking: http://www.razoo.com/story/poems-for-dollars. Thanks. J – At work –                      Sorry didn’t do dishes – … Continue reading →

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Democrats, Mid-term Election 2014

Posted on November 27, 2014 by alicebarrett

The leaders flounder on their tipsy sight. Like a small boat on rough seas, The leaders ride the waves in helplessness. … When the tide rises and pushes them forward, They decide, “This is the direction we must go.” But … Continue reading →

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