That Uncle is Coming to Thanksgiving

Posted on 2018/09/10 by Bartholomew Barker

That Uncle is Coming to Thanksgiving

He used to keep his racist,
sexist, homophobic opinions
to himself but he discovered
the internet and now believes
it’s okay to give full voice
to whatever his scattered friends
in their white privileged bubbles
are saying about the Fags and Darkies.

We still love and respect our crazy uncle
but we have been too tolerant, too indulgent,
and while we can’t change his mind with logic
or data we need to remind him that most Americans,
despite the results of the last election,
are embarrassed by his ignorance.
So if we all vote on Election Day,
we can have a peaceful Thanksgiving.

(If any of my uncles are wondering, I’m referring to my other uncles.)

About Bartholomew Barker

Bartholomew Barker is one of the organizers of Living Poetry, a collection of poets and poetry lovers in the Triangle region of North Carolina. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he makes money as a computer programmer to fund his poetry habit.

View all posts by Bartholomew Barker →

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4 Responses to That Uncle is Coming to Thanksgiving

ELLE says:

2018/09/16 at 20:06

Ah, Thanksgiving has creeped up on me. Great piece–we all have someone come to mind with this.

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- Bartholomew Barker says:
  
  2018/09/16 at 20:50
  
  Thanks! There’s still more than two months to go until Thanksgiving here in the States but I felt I had to publish this one sooner rather than later.
  
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  - ELLE says:
    
    2018/09/16 at 21:11
    
    I’m Canadian, so mine is incoming in a few weeks. Cue up the turkey and naptime! :)
    
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  - Bartholomew Barker says:
    
    2018/09/16 at 21:36
    
    Happy Thanksgiving!
    
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