Let’s Pretend

Posted on 2021-08-23 by Bartholomew Barker

Let’s pretend
I’m riding in this skull
pulling levers pressing pedals
making this body obey my will

Let’s pretend
your little pilot is looking out
through those smokey eyes
windows to your flight deck

Let’s pretend
minds are distinct from bodies
that this chemistry felt over drinks
is more than mere instinct

Let’s pretend
it’s love

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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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12 Responses to Let’s Pretend

  1. trE's avatar trE says:
    2021-08-23 at 21:25

    This is delightfully beautiful.

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. ivor20's avatar ivor20 says:
    2021-08-23 at 23:03

    I’m pretending, but the strings aren’t working

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. Cassa Bassa's avatar Cassa Bassa says:
    2021-08-24 at 00:32

    Bravo! Did you write this one in the strip club?

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Bartholomew Barker's avatar Bartholomew Barker says:
      2021-08-24 at 19:08

      Thank you. I actually have a good record of this poem. It was written as part of the April 2012 Poem-A-Day Challenge. The prompt was write an “animal” poem and that was on Thursday the 26th. Since I almost always go to the club on Wednesday, I’m fairly certain it was written here in my apartment. I then submitted it to three publications over the next three years and it languished in my rejects directory until last night when I decided to publish it to the blog.

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  4. Mawuli's avatar Mawuli says:
    2021-08-24 at 01:13

    Let’s pretend we are pretending and see how far(close) we or you or me can go with this ‘so’ called ‘love’

    Liked by 1 person

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