VR Skeeball
The ball feels real,
the heft in my hand,
minor imperfections
in the texture
beneath my fingertips.
The clinks and clanks
of the machinery
sound authentic.
These hi-def graphics
are phenomenal.
I can even see waves
in the ocean beyond
the boardwalk.
My avatar wipes sweat
from his focused brow
in the dank arcade.
Fully immersed,
I can practically taste
this milkshake.
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.
Bartholomew Barker, Poet 