Born in a cottage by an oasis in the vast emptiness,
we precocious children play with matches,
setting our home ablaze.
We grab the extinguisher with blistered hands
but our cousins pry it away
and smash us in the face.
All because they don’t believe
in fire.
(for 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 
Excellent, poetry and message. 🔥
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Thank you, Michele. May you remain unburnt.
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You’re welcome, Bart. Thank you. A little fire is good! 😁
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A little fire is good until it gets out of control.
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Yes, that is the thing with fires.
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buen texto!!
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Muchas gracias!
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On first reading I didn’t understand this one. I didn’t ‘get’ the not believing in fire reference – how can someone not believe in fire – it burns?
Then – I made the connection. Tho’ – having said that – all response to art is individual – so I might be barking up the wrong, burning, tree of Climate Change denial.
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I think you’ve come up with a perfectly reasonable interpretation. Thanks for reading and thinking!
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And while the planet burns… they still refuse to see…!
🇯🇲🏖️
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I think they can see now but they insist on fiddling instead of fixing.
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Fire & Water…
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16596
….it’s on m’Facebook page too…
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Many thanks for sharing my work, BB!
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Nicely done, Bart.
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Thank you, Professor.
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