Babbling like an Idiot

Posted on 2024-04-01 by Bartholomew Barker

It’s been a while since I felt the warm wind in my arm hairs
and wondered if I should’ve applied sunscreen before my walk
but I’ll risk turning pink as blossoms falling from a dogwood
because even with a bum leg, April puts a spring in my step.

Optimistic as a pineapple fresh from a farmers’ market
in Honolulu, I may be rough and spiky on the outside
but this weather makes me feel positively sweet and yellow
as a goldfinch singing from the high branches.

Don’t worry, it’ll pass.

Happy National Poetry Month! My first poem-a-day was inspired by three prompts:

  1. For today’s prompt, write an optimistic poem.
  2. Today’s Prompt: Write a poem inspired by the colors and sounds of spring.
  3. Evolve a poem that involves an exotic fruit, one fruit, and a town you’ve never visited, or else have distant memories of.

And the title was stolen from Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem Spring.

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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.
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15 Responses to Babbling like an Idiot

  1. equipsblog's avatar equipsblog says:
    2024-04-01 at 19:51

    Fun take on Spring fever.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. johnlmalone's avatar johnlmalone says:
    2024-04-01 at 20:02

    enjoyed the jauntiness very much, Bart; and thanks for that Edna St.Vincent Millay’s poem: it’s a beauty !!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld's avatar Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld says:
    2024-04-02 at 06:09

    Well done and highly relatable 👏

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. JeanMarie's avatar JeanMarie says:
    2024-04-02 at 06:34

    well done. I really like this one

    Like

    Reply
  5. Secret Bree's avatar Secret Bree says:
    2024-04-02 at 08:08

    This was fun to read.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. Dawn Pisturino's avatar Dawn Pisturino says:
    2024-04-02 at 10:49

    I love your sense of humor!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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