He’s still dead after 800 years.
Plant me under a tree
for immortality.
I prefer not to reveal the inspiration for my poems but I think this one needs a little context. I visited St. Michan’s Church today and took the picture above. The body in the center of the shot is believed to have been a Crusader and he’s who I’m referring to in my haiku.
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 
Such a great concept. Nicely done. Make mine a sugar maple, please.
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Good idea! I’ll have to think about what species tree I want to be part of.
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You’re a month late for Halloween B. But this made me laugh. Thanks for the picture!
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It’s Halloween’s every night at St. Michan’s!
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I prefer to fertilize a tree too, a willow or poplar
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Excellent choices.
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Jeez Bart – that is one manky Crusader.
At the bottom of our garden is an Alder which is known as The Dead Cat Tree. Some people who lived here long before us buried their cat and planted the Alder over it. Our neighbour told us about it when we moved into this house. That cat will have been dead for about 25 years by now – and it’s still referred to. Not exactly immortality but – something like.
Here’s a thought to conjure with…..a person is buried , and a tree planted over them. The tree grows, is cut down, and the wood is used to make …chairs, a table….to build a house. Still something of the person is there.
We are all part of one LIFE. Truly immortal….. https://theorkneynews.scot/2017/11/13/how-i-see-the-whole-life-lovelightgodreiki-etc-etc-thing/
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I planted a couple of beloved felines under trees at a house I owned years ago. Never told the people I sold it to.
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How do we get you under there I’m thinking?
And then, you don’t want to be a mummy??
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When the time comes, I won’t put up much of a fight, just dump me in the ground near a tree or plant one on top.
I definitely don’t want to be mummified. I’d rather be consumed.
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Gross!
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Great
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Glad you think so. Thanks for commenting.
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