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                      What’s the Rest of the Story?

                      Published by Ken Gosse at December 1, 2025
                      Categories
                      • Christmas
                      • Holidays
                      • Poetry
                      Tags
                      • baby Jesus
                      • Christmas
                      • Holiday
                      • humor
                      • Ken Gosse
                      • licorice
                      • poem
                      • three kings
                      • wise men
                      A square image with a religious, festive, and star-gazing aesthetic, focused on the story of the Three Wise Men. The sky is a dramatic dark blue twilight, transitioning to a fiery orange and red at the horizon. Silhouettes of the Three Wise Men riding camels are centered against the horizon. A bright star with a visible tail streak (the Star of Bethlehem) shines in the upper right, and a crescent moon hangs in the left. The scene evokes a classic Christmas or Epiphany setting. A bright blue owl logo is in the lower right corner. three kings Text: Poetry, Ken Gosse, What's the Rest of the Story?

                      Image by Enrique via Pixabay

                      And so, having staked their anonymous claim to fame
                      in the anticipated journals of mankind, three
                      kings, their servants, some shepherds,
                      plus donkeys, sheep, camels, et al.,
                      a drummer boy, even Amahl
                      and some folks at the inn
                      all went separate ways,
                      never to meet again.

                      But did the kings ever send more bounty to help them?
                      No matter. The baby had such fun playing with
                      his gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and—
                      if we are to believe a prequel—
                      enjoyed licorice, licorice,
                      black sweet licorice,
                      bitter licorice!
                      Have some.


                      Explore more poems that celebrate the meaning of Christmas and the message of faith here:

                      • Respites – Poetry 
                      • Weaving Lace – Poetry
                      • The Christmas Debate – Poetry
                      • Twas the Night Before Christmas at the Black Orb – Narrative Poetry
                      • A Christmas Eve Wish – Christmas Eve Poem
                      • Fireplace for Your Home – Christmas Essay
                      • Gumshoe Gus: The Case of the Missing Ornament
                      • It’s Fruitcake Weather – Christmas Nonfiction
                      Ken Gosse
                      + postsBio

                      Ken Gosse usually writes short, rhymed verse using whimsy and humor in traditional meters. First published in First Literary Review–East in November 2016, since then in The Offbeat, Pure Slush, Parody, Home Planet News Online, Sparks of Calliope and others. Raised in the Chicago, Illinois, suburbs, now retired, he and his wife have lived in Mesa, AZ, over twenty years.

                      Find more from Ken on Facebook.

                      • Ken Gosse
                        #molongui-disabled-link
                        Evermore, Sir!

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