Sonnet of Random Thoughts on Comets

Posted on 2020/07/25 by Bartholomew Barker

comet-neowise-5408666_1280.jpg

Sonnet of Random Thoughts on Comets

Coming right after my first divorce,
I took Comet Hale-Bopp’s beautiful
sunset show as a good omen— vivid
smudge of yellow in the orange twilight.

My second naked eye comet was barely
noticed and leaves me none the wiser.
While cowering in fear of maskless zombies,
I am proud of my astronomical vigilance.

But I missed Halley’s Comet in ’86.
On the cusp of adulthood in Chicago,
I didn’t even try to bear witness
nor raise a glass to Twain’s return.

I’ll be 97 when it’s back in our skies
but will I have my own or new synthetic eyes?

 

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. 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 makes money as a computer programmer to fund his poetry habit.
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14 Responses to Sonnet of Random Thoughts on Comets

  2. Katy Claire says:
    2020/07/25 at 18:51

    Very nice. I hope neowise will leave some wisdom for us ✨

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. JeanMarie says:
    2020/07/25 at 21:20

    Well done. And if one reads just the last word of each line, there’s a poem within a poem. Bravo.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. Kritika says:
    2020/08/11 at 14:21

    Fabulous read. Time will pass by and technology will do something about the eyes I believe.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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