This week let’s write a poem with the words candle, religion and sit 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 
One candle
It has never been this cold.
Though, I can’t see my breath as in stories of old.
The coat clinging to my back;
in one piece around my torso, is full of cracks.
Has my god completely abandoned me?
Was my religion a hoax?
Alone I sit, on the cold pew.
Screaming at God until my face is blue.
The force of my wailing, weak at best.
While the flames of many candles remain at rest.
One candle is mine.
One candle for a heart that pines.
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Posted by Chico’s Mom | December 15, 2025, 8:51 AMPowerful poem!
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Posted by crazy4yarn2 | December 15, 2025, 11:17 AMThank you 💕
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Posted by Chico’s Mom | December 15, 2025, 11:29 AMLove the stanza about the coat. Great use of the prompt. Thanks for sharing, Jolene!
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | December 15, 2025, 7:29 PMThank you for the prompt. 💕
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Posted by Chico’s Mom | December 15, 2025, 9:36 PMAt Christmas
I light a candle in the church
and sit in flickering light.
Holding you within my heart,
I wish you Christmas joy.
I know religion’s not for you.
You aren’t a fan of rules.
Forget the wreaths and Christmas trees.
You’d rather watch snow fall.
You’d rather tend a nuthatch
fallen with a broken wing.
You’d rather give a homeless man
a blanket and a coat.
You may snort at carolers.
But what you do not see,
is you are closer to our Lord
than I will ever be.
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Posted by crazy4yarn2 | December 15, 2025, 11:16 AMLove the snorting at carolers. Thanks for sharing, Nolcha!
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | December 15, 2025, 7:35 PMThank you as always for your excellent prompts!
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Posted by crazy4yarn2 | December 16, 2025, 11:39 AMA Candle In The Dark
I sit in the dark and strike a match,A quiet flame, a trembling spark.A candle wakes the waiting room,Soft light pushing back the dark.
I fall to my knees and whisper prayers,Hoping the Lord will hear my plea.Not for riches, not for gain,Just mercy, strength, and healing to be.
Heal my family, calm our pain,The sorrow heavy in our days.Teach our hearts to prepare not for religion,But for Your Son in humble praise.
For on that night, so still and small,A Child was born, the world made new.Redemption wrapped in fragile skin,A living promise, strong and true.
I rise and sit beside my wife,My sons close by, our hope restored.The battle’s won, we did not fall,Faith held firm, our hearts assured.
For a Child named Jesus came in love,To carry every weight away,And in His light, we stand in peace,No longer lost, but saved.
Willie Torres Jr….
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Posted by Willie Torres Jr. | December 15, 2025, 9:22 PMA lovely Christmas poem. Thanks for sharing, Willie!
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Posted by Bartholomew Barker | December 15, 2025, 10:27 PMThank you and Thank you for allowing me to share. This came to me as I read your post and the challenge. It felt like the words simply flowed through me.
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Posted by Willie Torres Jr. | December 16, 2025, 11:05 AM