Bartholomew Barker is one of the organizers of Living Poetry, a collection of poets and poetry lovers in the Triangle region of North Carolina. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he makes money as a computer programmer to fund his poetry habit.
Amidst the jungle’s lush embrace
Ta Prohm stands, a lost palace
A place where roots and walls entwine
A sight to see, a true shrine
Sporadic light streams through the trees
Guiding me through its mysteries
I feel the past whisper in my ear
And sense the history that’s near
The carvings, sculptures, and frescoes
Remind me of what once arose
A culture grand, now long gone
Leaves behind a lasting song
The way the roots embrace the stones
Is as if nature took on thrones
And claimed this place as its own
With beauty that’s still not overthrown
I walk around in awe and wonder
Taking in all the sporadic splendor
It feels like time has stood still
In this temple, nature’s will
And as I leave, I turn my head
And take one last look, heart full of dread
For I know I may never return
To this magical place that makes my heart yearn.
hard and steady
my walls stood
carved with years
of wind and rain
trial and strife
you landed on me and
the seed sprouted
on me, in me
we grew to be one
green flesh, greenstone
and when you left
trunk sliced in two
you, free to fly
smoke someplace nearby (I presume)
The roots of our love remain
hard and steady
my walls stand
carved with years
of wind and rain
trial and strife
and by love
with the power to dissolve
the thick stone
surrounding my heart
greenstone, green flesh
forever
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Lovely, especially the “carved with years” line. Well done!
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A home or a tree
I don’t want to live in the clouds.
Build me a home on dirt
near the roots of the old ones
so I can breathe in their woody wisdom
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Lovely! Especially the “woody wisdom”. Well done!
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Thanks!
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Ta Prohm Temple, Cambodia
Amidst the jungle’s lush embrace
Ta Prohm stands, a lost palace
A place where roots and walls entwine
A sight to see, a true shrine
Sporadic light streams through the trees
Guiding me through its mysteries
I feel the past whisper in my ear
And sense the history that’s near
The carvings, sculptures, and frescoes
Remind me of what once arose
A culture grand, now long gone
Leaves behind a lasting song
The way the roots embrace the stones
Is as if nature took on thrones
And claimed this place as its own
With beauty that’s still not overthrown
I walk around in awe and wonder
Taking in all the sporadic splendor
It feels like time has stood still
In this temple, nature’s will
And as I leave, I turn my head
And take one last look, heart full of dread
For I know I may never return
To this magical place that makes my heart yearn.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lovely! I especially enjoyed the “roots and walls entwine” and and “the roots embrace the stones”. Great work!
LikeLiked by 1 person