Welcome to Alice Picks Up a Pen

Exploring the Amazing Challenge of Wholehearted Living.

We all have stories... this blog gives you a first edition peek into a bit of mine. A small-town girl, a desert rat, a lover of words, a quick wit, tender heart, and sometimes biting tongue. I am rooted by place, family, faith, and friendships... and I know that was too many "f's" for good writing but, what is one to do. I am driven by ego, doubt, confidence, fear, ambition, apathy, courage, hopelessness, fierce love, and crippling grief. Basically, I am you, you are me. Let's get to know each other.

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The Phone Call that Did Not Come

PERSPECTIVE I only have one voicemail - one from four years ago this birthday comes and goes with no Happy Birthday Mama! I push the green triangle PLAY from that old message, over and over and over … give me a call… just if you get the chance. I’d love to hear your voice. Oh, sweet thing. What I wouldn’t give to hear your voice one more time. Why don’t I have every voicemail you ever left me?! Because I always picked up. I need to remember this. This fact that changes ev

3 days ago2 min read

Letting Go

we laugh at your baby photos so like mine that we have to check our mother’s writing on the back Alice 70’ or David 72’ playing in the yard with the dog Tramp , a mutt who walked us to the bus stop went on all our hikes and loved a good cow pie roll he lived till we were both in high school high school you were only a year behind me made our yearbook’s “most likely to succeed” while I was most definitely “laziest senior” See? See what a beautiful life you had? photos of

Oct 292 min read

Bubble World

If Only she carries them everywhere she goes filling the world with rainbow spheres carried on the bounce of giggling breath she offers...

Sep 21 min read

The WHY? of it all.

A paradox is a statement or group of statements that, despite seeming illogical, may contain a deeper truth or reveal a complex situation...

Aug 31 min read

Sevenling

Sevenling you declared we would find you in the sunsets, cherry blossoms, by carefully listening to ocean’s heartbeat instead, we mourn...

Apr 141 min read

RAGE

He stands next to the bed, two coffee cups in hand. “Brown or yellow?” I look up from my phone, instantly enraged but mustering...

Feb 254 min read

Phoenix Rising

How do I grieve the woman I worked so hard to become? the woman who did the work to become self-aware emotionally intelligent grounded...

Feb 42 min read

To Eat or Not to Eat...

I eat. I eat and eat and eat. Not fruits and vegetables. Don’t be silly! Carbs and sugar and all varieties therein are the new go-to...

Jan 143 min read

STILL ALIVE

they welcome her with hugs, tears, tender hearts, a sisterhood of maternal grief Georgia’s son - absent 9 months now as a missing person...

Aug 27, 20241 min read

Not all is Black or White

I published this one a while back, but it has come around again in my heart. Indecision is a place of such anxiety, especially in a world...

Aug 6, 20241 min read

Powerless

dainty doe smudge of brown in a green alfalfa sea back: forest, water, rest, shade, shelter, safety forward: suburbia, asphalt, cars,...

Jul 30, 20241 min read

Yet Again

a broken young man aims from a rooftop aims at what? a man? a symbol? an ideology? an enemy? a threat? fame? to be seen, known, heard?...

Jul 15, 20241 min read

Birds Eye-View

Oh, there you are! way up high dark smudge winging against sea of sky sleek glossy raven symbol of death or perhaps prophet, the herald...

Jun 18, 20241 min read

America

O say can you see by the dawns early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming Whose broad stripes and bright stars...

Aug 24, 20231 min read

The Love Affair - in metaphor

peach pit on a paper towel bits of sunshine flesh cling to the naked heart fruit gone its sweetness, still ripe on the tongue take...

Aug 17, 20231 min read

Pretend Chocolate Pie

You call to show me pretend chocolate pie and make me guess Who Am I ?! your scary, green Hulk mask fills the phone screen I shriek, make...

Oct 18, 20221 min read

When All I Know to be True is - Not

hate visceral hate claw with talons sunk deep into soft belly tighter and tighter agony ripples outward no room left for breath hate is...

Oct 11, 20221 min read

Where Does One Store a Soul?

Safe Place Oh for a safe place to store my soul Perhaps a locked box high on a shelf with its only key, adorning a smooth chain around my...

Oct 4, 20221 min read

A Ban on Black and White

A Place for Grey When your heart is breaking When you don’t know which way to go, despite all the love you have. When your heart fills...

Sep 20, 20221 min read

Are We a Something?

Are we a something, You and I? Some days my heart is lulled into hoping YES - by the laughter dancing in your eyes, the smile lighting...

Aug 30, 20221 min read

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