From the New World

Posted on 2020/04/01 by Bartholomew Barker

For today’s prompt, write a new world poem.

From the New World

Dvorak’s Ninth could have only been written in America,
far from his Bohemian home of mountains and forests.
Clear-cut farmlands from New York to Iowa, wide open spaces
inspired music to be played under summer stars.

Location informs creation, the way airborne yeast
infect the sourdough starter or stormy castle nights
with Byron and Shelley conceive Frankenstein.

Going home triumphant to Europe,
his reputation confirmed,
Dvorak would never leave Bohemia again.

I’ve been to Iowa but never Spillville,
where he completed the symphony
except when I listen through his ears
and then I’m native.

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 →

This entry was posted in Poetry and tagged dvorak, iowa, new world, Poem-A-Day. Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to From the New World

JeanMarie says:

2020/04/01 at 20:53

Congratulations on successfully completely day 1 of this grueling April journey!

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- Bartholomew Barker says:
  
  2020/04/01 at 20:55
  
  Thanks. It’s going to be a long month.
  
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Lisa Tomey says:

2020/04/02 at 09:06

Amazing how music takes us to another place. In my opinion, that’s what makes my kind of music. Maybe why I love the late 60s and early 70s.

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- Bartholomew Barker says:
  
  2020/04/02 at 12:55
  
  Music, like scent, is great at evoking memories.
  
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