Happy Mudlark
“A mudlark is someone who scavenges in river mud for items of value…”
Tramp through the mud
the best job ever
my boss is the tide
I rediscover what’s forgotten
like this forty year old class ring
thrown by an angry girlfriend
after she caught him kissing another
her first broken heart
Humans drown in memories
but rivers never forget
my job is to dig
(For the prompts mudlark and job.)
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 
Love, love, love this Bartholomew! Excellent!
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Thank you!
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Wonderful!
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Thanks!
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Loved how you depicted stories with the beautiful sentiments of nostalgia. The past and the present interwoven. Simple Stunning!
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Thank you. It’s interesting what you dig up, when you try.
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Exactly!😃👍
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Poignant and gripping from opening to finish! The last line is particularly lovely.
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Thanks! That last stanza took me longest to get right. Glad it hit home.
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super post. Thanks
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You’re welcome.
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Nice work – especially the idea of how the river never forgets.
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Many thanks. I kinda like how that last stanza turned out too.
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The beauty is in the old rediscovered. Lovely, Bart.
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Even when it’s covered in mud. Thank you, Susi.
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Especially then! :) You’re welcome, Bart!
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