Don’t forget to post your poem in the comments below before the inspiration floats away.
About Bartholomew Barker
Bartholomew Barker is an organizer of Living Poetry, a collection of poets in the Triangle region of North Carolina where he has hosted a monthly feedback workshop for more than decade. His first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, written in and about strip clubs, was published in 2013. His second, Milkshakes and Chilidogs, a chapbook of food inspired poetry was served in 2017. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he lives and writes poetry.
Living Poetry
Won For Us
What they won for us
was this warm day
the placid water
where small children play
The calm skies arc
protective and blue
the rose bends red
We amble by full and free
white clouds rise
above the old oak tree
which outlasted,
as did our own home,
the ax of wars,
our evening proclaims,
with stars.
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Posted by ts19page | July 4, 2022, 9:45 AMLove that second stanza and the last two lines. Great work!
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | July 4, 2022, 12:27 PMThanks, Bartholomew!
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Posted by ts19page | July 4, 2022, 2:01 PMeach state
a different color
floating in a deep blue sky
over a loved heartland
manifestly repurposed
bound with bands of history and intent
slowly falling with each selfish act
an experiment in hubris
still aloft by bouyancy
not by shed grace
but by the cross product
of idealism and averace
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Posted by Chris Clarke | July 4, 2022, 3:30 PMI Like ‘shed grace’ – from the America the Beautiful? But think the last word is spelled ‘avarice’.
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Posted by ts19page | July 4, 2022, 6:46 PMYes, it is. Sorry for the misspelling. Thank goodness for spellcheck…
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Posted by Chris Clarke | July 5, 2022, 10:23 AMYou are right about spell check, personally, my spelling degrades with each passing year!
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Posted by ts19page | July 5, 2022, 12:36 PMLove the lines “each selfish act / an experiment in hubris” Great work!
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | July 4, 2022, 7:53 PMA Funeral for Sperms
Onlookers and passerby gave them the cheers
Some even said congratulations
Little did they know
there goes his vitality into the thin air
Her belly is still flat
and her womb is still empty
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Posted by Cassa Bassa | July 5, 2022, 3:33 AMVery interesting. Those last two lines are excellent!
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | July 5, 2022, 5:30 PMI wanted to put a different spin to it. Glad it reads interesting.
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Posted by Cassa Bassa | July 5, 2022, 6:34 PMDepressing. But I appreciate the twist.
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Posted by JeanMarie | July 7, 2022, 8:53 PMLikeLiked by 2 people
Posted by JeanMarie | July 7, 2022, 10:53 PMGreat work!
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | July 7, 2022, 11:30 PMEnjoyed the research about helium that your work prompted. Thanks!
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Posted by ts19page | July 8, 2022, 8:42 AMwe dont see them
much anymore
balloons fall into
the category of teapot cosies
patchwork quilts and cucumber sandwiches
it’s nice being a dinosaur
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Posted by Cressida | July 8, 2022, 2:19 PMA lovely little meditation on obsolescence. Thanks for sharing!
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | July 8, 2022, 5:12 PMThere was nothing to celebrate
this July 4th
No balloons or fireworks
Only cognitive dissonance
watching dancing people
in front of the Capital on TV
I could only remember
fellow citizens
storming the Capitol
in seething anger
PS – can someone check the blog setting? I am no longer receiving email at capenafiel12@gmail.com.
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Posted by Second Act Blogger | July 8, 2022, 5:50 PMWell said. Nothing but cognitive dissonance.
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Posted by JeanMarie | July 8, 2022, 6:08 PMVery nice and I totally agree. Cognitive dissonance, indeed.
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | July 8, 2022, 6:49 PMLikeLiked by 2 people
Posted by Bartholomew Barker | July 8, 2022, 7:26 PM