Some Things Never Change

Posted on 2023-05-29 by Bartholomew Barker

I used to fling bread at ducks
with stubby little boy arms
not yet skilled at throwing

While I liked avian attention
I didn’t want them too close
with their loud harsh quacks

The duck pond in my hometown park
had a little island that wasn’t
but it’s how I learned the words
isthmus and peninsula

Squatting on the shore
heaving bread into water
with my parents on the “mainland”

I felt the twinge of independence
glad they weren’t too close
still wanting them to watch

But anxious about being left behind

(for this week’s Living Poetry Prompt: Park)

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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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10 Responses to Some Things Never Change

  1. Sarah E Barker's avatar Sarah E Barker says:
    2023-05-29 at 21:03

    I remember that pond and the trips to feed the ducks. Good times.

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. berniebell1955's avatar berniebell1955 says:
    2023-05-30 at 04:01

    The man steps away from the child – but the child stays with the man …thank goodness.

    Another little window on humanity – which will go in my blog.

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. Cassa Bassa's avatar Cassa Bassa says:
    2023-05-30 at 17:24

    It’s interesting to read the feelings behind the feeding duck childhood memory.

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. luvgoodcarp's avatar luvgoodcarp says:
    2023-05-31 at 06:11

    This certainly resonates. Avian attention was the source of much childhood anxiety for me.

    Liked by 1 person

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