Happy Equinox!

Posted on 2020-09-22 by Bartholomew Barker

I celebrated the September Equinox with a virtual visit to Charles House to talk autumnal poetry with the folks there. We spent the last fifteen minutes composing one of our own and it turned out pretty good so I stole the best lines for the poem below.

September 22nd

Sunset leaves drift to ground
silent in the equinoctial dusk
our footfalls disturb their rest
crunching— scattering— releasing
that crisp aroma of earth and death

We are tethered to the past—
raking rusty piles
tumbling into joyful beds
as time drags us down
from branches— from childhood
from summer noon
to autumnal twilight
as winter stars
rise in the east

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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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8 Responses to Happy Equinox!

  1. Cassa Bassa's avatar Cassa Bassa says:
    2020-09-22 at 20:22

    Beautiful, splendid!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld's avatar Lisa Tomey says:
    2020-09-22 at 20:44

    Lovely autumn welcome.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Katy Claire's avatar Katy Claire says:
    2020-09-26 at 18:37

    Beautiful! I love “We are tethered to the past—
    raking rusty piles” and how you finished it with those last lines and “winter stars”. Lovely.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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