A Young Poet in Lytle Creek

Posted on 2023/04/05 by Bartholomew Barker

Wearing hip waders for the first
and only time, I walked in Lytle Creek.
I’d been in before by falling
but this was intentional.

My best friend and I carried fishing poles.
We didn’t catch anything.
I don’t even remember casting.

What I remember is the sensation of walking
through water without getting wet.
Of feeling cool on a summer afternoon
and standing still while the current flowed
between my legs as it delivered water
to Todds Fork and then the Little Miami,
to the Ohio and the Mississippi
and finally the Gulf of Mexico.

Looking down as the silt settled
I saw a brave fish approach my boots
and wondered how far we could go.

(For today’s prompt, take the phrase “(noun) in (location),” replace the (noun) with a noun, replace the (location) with a location, make the new phrase the title of your poem.)

About Bartholomew Barker

Bartholomew Barker is one of the organizers of Living Poetry, a collection of poets and poetry lovers in the Triangle region of North Carolina. 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 makes money as a computer programmer to fund his poetry habit.
This entry was posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

20 Responses to A Young Poet in Lytle Creek

  1. Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet says:
    2023/04/05 at 18:52

    What a vivid, nostalgic poem, Bartholomew! The photo is gorgeous! <3

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  2. annemariedemyen says:
    2023/04/05 at 18:55

    Beautiful poem and photo. 🌟

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. Gypsie-Ami Offenbacher-Ferris says:
    2023/04/05 at 18:56

    I could feel the sensation of not being wet in water Bartholomew – wonderful! 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Cassa Bassa says:
    2023/04/05 at 19:30

    I want to know more about the intentional fall.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  5. ivor20 says:
    2023/04/05 at 19:55

    A moment in time that your words have captured superbly Bart

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. berniebell1955 says:
    2023/04/06 at 05:49

    Co-incidence again..

    Yesterday, returning from his walk to the Bay, Mike wrote this….

    Paddling

    Ankle-deep at Hinderayre
    I stand in all the oceans of the world
    Sea snakes abound
    And Tethys laps the shore.

    McB – April ‘23

    Which will be in my blog tomorrow.

    Then, this morning, I read your poem for today.

    Hmmmmmmmm….

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment