Happy Juneteenth, poets! Let’s write a poem to celebrate the day and post it in the comments below.
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 
They told us we were free …
We didn’t believe that could be.
Yet, they insisted …
We could come or go
As we pleased.
To test the tale, we tried …
And soon found out they lied –
Oh, they were freed,
Of any need
To provide anything for us.
But for us, to come and go … ?
Oh, no … Jim, Mr. Crow,
Saw to it, that wasn’t to be.
Til 1964 … when this hypocrisy
Was banished forever more …
If equal all men are created
Then equal all men must be treated.
And, for a time, they live up to their word
Until now, a supposed Supreme body
Listening to their pleas to set them free …
of us, yet again ….
Thus decreed
The ’64 law – it didn’t mean
We were free to vote
And have it be fair …
And here we go,
Again and again.
One more chapter
One more round.
Oh, good Lord,
when will it all end?
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Posted by Dennis | June 19, 2023, 8:32 AMThey say the arc of history bends toward justice but it ain’t bending fast enough for me. We’ve got more to do. Thanks for sharing!
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | June 19, 2023, 4:59 PMYes, agreed. And I believe the arc is bending in the right direction. But we are living in a time of great regression.
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Posted by Dennis | June 19, 2023, 5:04 PMLoved the flow and smooth pour of historical information in the poem. Excellent piece.
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Posted by DanielleM | June 21, 2023, 6:49 AMThank you. It’s awfully rough but, having said that, I only give my ‘response’ about 5 min – 10 max – to go from prompt to ‘submit’ … It’s a burst, out of nowhere. I love those bursts, arising from somewhere inside which I can’t locate or name … sadly, though, polishing is an art form mostly lost on me. So, again, thank you.
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Posted by Dennis or Donncha in Irish | June 21, 2023, 6:57 AMA key moment in history
A liberation of those who look like me!
But wait, hear me out:
The addition
To public curriculum
For our youth
Of Juneteenth history
Would reiterate the progress
And keep less historical facts a mystery.
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Posted by Jusjess Poetry | June 19, 2023, 10:15 AMHear! Hear! When I was in school, a very long time ago, Black history was George Washington Carver. I had so much to learn and had to do it on my own. Thanks for sharing!
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | June 19, 2023, 4:55 PMI am glad to see this being well received! I’m 35 and I also had to do deep digging on my own as an adult.
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Posted by Jusjess Poetry | June 19, 2023, 5:13 PMLikeLike
Posted by Bartholomew Barker | June 19, 2023, 10:06 PMsound the horns, whistles and bells,
down your tools
stop the chains and whips
no more cracks and cries of pain
no more shame and denigration because of black skin
the plantation life is dead
or is it?
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Posted by Danielle Martin | June 20, 2023, 3:37 PMThat is the question, isn’t it? Very well done!
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | June 20, 2023, 7:02 PMSadly, though indeed it still is.
Thanks for appreciating my lil poem. ❤️
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Posted by DanielleM | June 21, 2023, 6:42 AM