Far from the Madding Crows

Posted on 2022-04-17 by Bartholomew Barker

Another combination of two prompts:
For today’s prompt, write a mad poem.
Comic artist Lynda Barry, and asks you to write about dogs you have known, seen, or heard about.

Not Bobo, not Moriarty but illustrative of their relationship.

Far from the Madding Crows

There’s a murder of crows convening
outside my window, debating some fine point
of avian semiotics in raucous squawks.

Moriarty hasn’t blinked since they arrived,
his tail thwapping back and forth anticipating
the juicy dark meat, if only he could get through the glass.

Bobo’s oblivious below. He’s mad about Moriarty
and misinterprets the feline tail so he wags
back as if he were being offered a treat.

I madden them both by spending my days
facing a box that glows when there’s prey
and fun to be had outside

and only I can open the door.

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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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7 Responses to Far from the Madding Crows

  2. pensivepoetblog's avatar pensivepoetblog says:
    2022-04-17 at 22:20

    That’s so evil!! Let them out. Your neighbors will love you. LOL.

    Great dog/cat story. You know your animals. I love “the murder of crows” I had not heard that term before. Again, British in origin. And nobody really knows what it means they say except that they may be convening to decide the capital punishment of one of them? Did they have acid back then? Love the humanism and the prankster that come out.

    On Sun, Apr 17, 2022 at 5:56 PM Bartholomew Barker, Poet wrote:

    > Bartholomew Barker posted: ” Another combination of two prompts:For > today’s prompt, write a mad poem.Comic artist Lynda Barry, and asks you to > write about dogs you have known, seen, or heard about. Not Bobo, not > Moriarty but illustrative of their relationship. Far from the Mad” >

    Like

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  3. ivor20's avatar ivor20 says:
    2022-04-18 at 02:03

    You’re a big teaseBart ..

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Bill's avatar Bill says:
    2022-04-18 at 07:20

    Very nice.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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