This week let’s write a misanthropy poem. While I’m sure none of you lovely poets out there are misanthropes, let’s try to imagine what it’s like to hold a deep dislike or distrust of your fellow human beings then post your poem in the comments below.
(I couldn’t find a good picture for misanthropy so here’s a cat being forced to wear a hat.)
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 
King of the Grove
I stand above my brother trees.
In high winds, they bow to me.
I despise the other trees
who try to rise as high as me.
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Posted by crazy4yarn2 | May 26, 2025, 10:49 AMGreat opening two lines. Thanks for sharing!
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | May 26, 2025, 7:23 PMRot Behind the Smile
Smiles snap like ribs in a fist,
Venom spills from clenched and pissed.
Beneath the skin, decay claws bone—
A brutal war, fought alone.
Masks torn off with savage hands,
Teeth like knives, no gentle plans.
I stand bloodied, torn, defiled—
Broken by the rot behind the smile.
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Posted by Fay Ann Swearing | May 26, 2025, 11:47 PMGorgeous, visceral, brutal imagery. I love it! Thanks for sharing, Fay.
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | May 27, 2025, 7:15 PMThank you for your kind comment 👍
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Posted by Fay Ann Swearing | May 27, 2025, 7:38 PMHere’s mine:
https://bartbarkerpoet.com/2025/05/27/trusting-humans/
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | May 27, 2025, 8:56 PM