This week let’s write a poem with the words circle, few and quality in it. This is another of those prompts where I randomly choose three words from a list of the top 1000 words in the English language plus a few of my favorites. Post your poems 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 
When I crossed the fairy ring,
stepped into the enchanted circle,
nothing happened. Connection on the fritz—
the quality of everything’s gone under hill,
and all we have to wave is fairy gold.
Perhaps the eldritch engineers were made redundant,
the trollish transportation workers went on strike—
more power to them, you do what you must,
even (especially) in Fair Elfland.
Or perhaps they’ve closed the borders,
blocking endless economic migrants
seeking enchantment in exchange
for scrubbing floors. Hollywood
just doesn’t cut it anymore. You know
how it is; applications many, positions few.
The glamour’s been rubbed off, gilt crumbling
into spray tan in the light of day.
I’ll get no fairy knight or queen
to spirit me away,
no three hundred years of sleep
to dream away the sorrow so I may wake
and find abundance, a generous
and loving wild garden.
But, so far, the moss is greener than the winter river,
the trout lily’s gold is true, if only for a day.
And ruby-like, the cardinal still glows,
still flits and sings
in the downy gray and brown
of drowsing trees.
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Posted by Hannah Ringler | February 20, 2024, 9:37 AMGorgeous! Especially the last four lines. Thanks for sharing this epic!
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | February 20, 2024, 7:01 PMLikeLiked by 1 person
Posted by Chico’s Mom | February 21, 2024, 8:31 AMA tender haiku. Thanks for sharing!
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | February 21, 2024, 5:06 PMThank you 💕
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Posted by Chico’s Mom | February 21, 2024, 5:53 PM