Stoic
North of Time,
a Parliament of Stones
marks some green pushing
through the cracked concrete.
This disease tears
rock into sand,
worse than rain
and relentless wind.
The animals came
and went without notice.
Plants too will pass,
with the air and water,
leaving only stone
until immolation.
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 
Provocative and excellent!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I’m not quite sure what to make of this one but I’m glad it’s at least provocative.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice one Bart and thought provoking.
We are transient and immaterial to the rocks. Other than erosion, their only fatal enemy is planetary destruction. Did I get that right?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! That seems like a reasonable interpretation.
LikeLike