She reads by moonlight—
real books of ink and paper.
She watches television
with the sound off.
She leaves Spotify running
as she fades to sleep—
volume low as a blanket
so she’ll dream her own songs.
She loves my poetry but never
wants to meet the poet.
She’d rather fill in the gaps
with her imagination.
I’d just destroy her image of me
with my mundane reality.
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.
Bartholomew Barker, Poet 
A lovely read of imagination and reality.
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Thank you. I’ve been leaning on imagination over reality these days.
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