This week let’s write a poem with the words office, reasonable and up 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 
NOT REASONABLE!
For me to be up, sadness.
Please No. NO office!
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Posted by Chico’s Mom | August 18, 2025, 8:57 AMHa! Coincidentally, today was my first day back at the dayjob after a two week vacation so I really feel this on. Well done!
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | August 18, 2025, 7:35 PMThank you 💕 2 weeks. Wow!
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Posted by Chico’s Mom | August 18, 2025, 7:37 PMI didn’t have a poem with all 3 of the words so hopefully this will suffice:
He thought it crazy that anyone would willingly sit on a small plank of wood, back to the rising sun suspended 30 some stories above the concrete to wash windows.
In some respects his job was much more dangerous—Sitting in a cubicle staring at emails with the stale office air slowly rotting away at his brain.
One day they will find his decaying body in a pile under his desk, smile on his face because for once, someone else was going to have to clean up a mess around here.
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Posted by Ken Tomaro | August 18, 2025, 10:56 AMBravo, Ken!
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Posted by crazy4yarn2 | August 18, 2025, 2:16 PMIt only took me half the morning to find this poem.
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Posted by Ken Tomaro | August 18, 2025, 2:50 PMThat’s what comes from prolific writing.
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Posted by crazy4yarn2 | August 18, 2025, 4:44 PMA lovely little story. Thanks for sharing, Ken.
You are permitted to write new poems to these prompts, even if you have something already done that fits.
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | August 18, 2025, 7:40 PMThank you!
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Posted by Ken Tomaro | August 18, 2025, 7:41 PMHi, here is my contribution: https://poetisatinta.wordpress.com/2025/08/19/poetry-prompt/
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Posted by poetisatinta | August 19, 2025, 2:16 PMGreat use of the prompt! Thanks for sharing, Ange.
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | August 19, 2025, 7:03 PMThanks for the inspiration 😃
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Posted by poetisatinta | August 19, 2025, 8:32 PMCommended
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Posted by Swamigalkodi Astrology | August 21, 2025, 1:17 AMThank you. I hope you’ll write a poem to the prompt next time.
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | August 21, 2025, 8:52 PM