Countdown

Posted on 2023-08-30 by Bartholomew Barker

Various vintages
Standing derelict
On my kitchen counter
Cityscape of liquor
In sundry stages
Of emptiness

Between bottles
Scattered portraits
Of Jackson and Franklin
Once lush green
Now disappearing
As drought drains funds

Bank balance
Once gradually growing
Now slowly steadily
Counting down
Not to launch
But collapse

This year marks the tenth anniversary of my first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular. To celebrate I’m posting my favorite poems from the book on Wednesday nights, of course.

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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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12 Responses to Countdown

  1. equipsblog's avatar equipsblog says:
    2023-08-30 at 21:28

    Sad commentary.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  2. Gypsie-Ami Offenbacher-Ferris's avatar Gypsie-Ami Offenbacher-Ferris says:
    2023-08-30 at 22:16

    I have a couple of bottles to add Bartholomew! 🍾

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. Ali Grimshaw's avatar Ali Grimshaw says:
    2023-08-30 at 22:24

    This sounds like hitting the bottom of the barrel.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Didier Beaugrand's avatar Didier Beaugrand says:
    2023-09-18 at 10:38

    Ten years! 😲 Congrats on the anniversary, and nice write.🙏

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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