Sex in the Sea

Posted on 2020-02-14 by Bartholomew Barker

turtles-681698_1280.jpg

(Last night Living Poetry attended the Science Cafe at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The program was called Sex and the Sea: Love Stories, for Valentine’s Day, of course. Watch the show! The poetry starts at around 46 minutes but watch the whole thing to get the marine references.)

Sex in the Sea

Take me to the aquarium.
I love the dim lighting
and subdued sounds.
If they sold wine
in the gift shop,
it’d be better
than a singles bar.

We all know sex in a bathtub
just doesn’t work.
I need somewhere more pelagic
and the oceans are filled
with gametes searching
for a home.

Imagine if we’d made a strange
natural selection in eons past—
I’d carry your eggs
in mouth or belly
or cling to your side
until I slowly dissolve
in your love.

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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 Sex in the Sea

  1. mbrazfieldm's avatar mbrazfieldm says:
    2020-02-14 at 17:40

    Saucy love it! It’s also very sweet 💕

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld's avatar Lisa Tomey says:
    2020-02-14 at 19:40

    This got my gills a stirring. Love it and thinking it needs a home.

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. JeanMarie's avatar JeanMarie says:
    2020-02-15 at 00:10

    Oh that crazy natural selection! Nice. Workshop? :)

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. jupitergrant's avatar jupitergrant says:
    2020-02-15 at 06:26

    Awwww, this is sexy and sweet ☺️❤️

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. Pingback: Monday Poetry Prompt: Sex in the Sea | Living Poetry

  6. Gypsie-Ami Offenbacher-Ferris's avatar Ami (Gypsie) Offenbacher-Ferris says:
    2022-02-02 at 07:23

    Exquisite imagery! Absolutely love spending quiet hours at the beach and aquarium. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. Cheryl Batavia's avatar Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet says:
    2022-02-06 at 16:00

    Lovely photo to accompany your touching poem, Bartholomew! We have many sea turtle nests on the beach here. I read that about 1 out of 100 hatchlings survive to adulthood. They may live more than 80 years, and return to the beach where they were hatched to lay their eggs every year or two.

    I agree that sex in the sea is preferable to sex in a bathtub! <3

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