Eye of the Beholder
Metal tongs pull a slice of prime rib
onto my plate at the buffet.
I notice a brunette at another table
and avoid staring at her legs.
Turkey buzzards cluster around a fallen doe
like little stout Deaths in feathered robes
and sickle beaks.
The bandage around my arm itches
from where I donated blood.
Cotton stained red and now brown.
(for this week’s Living Poetry prompt and Sammi’s Weekend Writing prompt.)
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 
This definitely made me think trice 😃😄
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That was my goal. Thanks for reading and thinking!
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😄
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Interesting how perspective changes everything! Well done!!
Dwight
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Thanks! A little perspective is all we need.
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:>)
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Goodness me, Bart….blood – and our responses to it – and the taking of it.
And… there’s so much in it – in your poem – and in blood, of the essence of each individual.
Blood.
“like little stout Deaths in feathered robes
and sickle beaks.” – Goodness me.
Vultures clear up carcasses – helping to prevent infection – useful.
A person’s reaction can depend on how they look at them – how they ‘see’ them – food for thought again – not presented on a plate though.
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Food on a plate and on the tarmac. Glad it got you thinking.
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What is carrion to one; is the world’s greatest prize to another. 🏆
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That’s right. It all depends upon your point of view.
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Aaaannndddd…….http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?msg=Entry%20Updated
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Thanks for reposting my little poem on your blog!
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There’s ‘nowt ‘little’ about it!
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