Year of the Tiger

Posted on 2022-02-01 by Bartholomew Barker

Year of the Tiger

That Cheshire cat grin
of the slim crescent
setting in the twilight
is the smirk of a tiger

Will we catch it by the tail
or will the fire in its eyes
ignite the tinder as we saunter
into the flames

If we’re going to burn this year
let’s burn brightly

Happy Lunar New Year! This poem written to the prompts Tiger and Saunter and, of course, shamelessly stolen lines from Blake.

 

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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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16 Responses to Year of the Tiger

  1. JeanMarie's avatar JeanMarie says:
    2022-02-01 at 18:12

    Burn baby burn. Love the poem

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. trE's avatar trE says:
    2022-02-01 at 18:45

    Reblogged this on A Cornered Gurl and commented:
    “If we’re going to burn this year
    let’s burn brightly”

    Very well said, by Bartholomew Barker. This is a delightful poem. Please swing by Bart’s little neck of the blogosphere and check it out.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  4. Cassa Bassa's avatar Cassa Bassa says:
    2022-02-03 at 21:02

    Nice take on the prompts =)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Karima Hoisan's avatar Karima Hoisan says:
    2022-02-07 at 20:21

    I really enjoyed this!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. luvgoodcarp's avatar luvgoodcarp says:
    2022-02-09 at 18:03

    Nicely done. Those are wonderful closing lines.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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