Monthly Archives: August 2020

On The Spectrum

Posted on 2020/08/31 by Bartholomew Barker

On The Spectrum The world is not black and white nor is it shades of grey we live in infinite color more than our eyes can see purple is both red and blue and neither people can be wrong without … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged | 8 Comments

The Grave of Randall Jarrell

Posted on 2020/08/28 by Bartholomew Barker

Yesterday I visited the grave of Randall Jarrell, 1914-1965. Besides being a poet and professor, he was the Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress for 1956-1958, now known as the Poet Laureate of the United States.

Posted in Dead Poets | Tagged | 8 Comments

Unacceptable

Posted on 2020/08/24 by Bartholomew Barker

Unacceptable The arc of history may be long, too long for my taste, and I’ll grant it bends to justice, when observed over centuries but what good are years to those whose time has been stolen? George Floyd Breonna Taylor … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Coronabeard

Posted on 2020/08/20 by Bartholomew Barker

Coronabeard I wear a crown about my jaw, encrusted not with jewels but pie crumbs. It’s not gold, never was. Call it platinum or silver, just not gray. I crowned myself, like Napoleon, and, without a Josephine to complain, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , | 19 Comments

Charles Bukowski (1920-1994)

Posted on 2020/08/16 by Bartholomew Barker

This is the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of my favorite poets, Charles Bukowski. I love how he takes the mundane and the profane and illuminates the poetry in each. He can be both coarse and sublime in … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged | 6 Comments

Limitless

Posted on 2020/08/10 by Bartholomew Barker

Limitless I know the science Some billions of years ago the universe erupted into being and some billions of years from now the Sun will explode in a minor nova and many trillions of years later all the stars will … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged | 14 Comments

The Last Survivor

Posted on 2020/08/06 by Bartholomew Barker

The Last Survivor I met a survivor of the atomic bomb at a student peace conference back when Ronnie Raygun joked about bombing Soviets She was delicate demure a beautiful stereotype except for burn scars on the left side of … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Ode to Selene

Posted on 2020/08/03 by Bartholomew Barker

Ode to Selene She walks in beauty, through the night, ‘cross cloudless skies, eclipsing stars. Shadows cast by her tranquil light guide drunken men to topless bars. She lifts the tides, caresses waves that sculpt the shores of eager earth … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged | 11 Comments