Six Questions

Posted on 2024-02-26 by Bartholomew Barker

Where is my muse tonight, now that the sun
has set and the porcelain moon is on the wane?

When did I lose her, requiring this search
through corked bottles and potholed streets?

What fabric is draped along her lithe curves,
languishing on some other couch or bed?

Who is she inspiring now with her winks
and tapered fingernail intent?

Why did she leave my mind bereft of poetic trickery,
a sky without stars, only able to ask unanswerable questions?

And how can I entice her back to my right arm?

(My muse tonight was Stacey C. Johnson of Breadcrumbs, who inspired this poem, as well as my prompt for Living Poetry. Of course, my regular weekly muse, Sammi Cox, played her part as well. I encourage all my readers to attempt this poetic exercise.)

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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 Six Questions

  1. Katie Frances Hartless's avatar K.F. Hartless says:
    2024-02-26 at 22:58

    I love the allure of your verse.

    Like

    Reply
  2. Lia's avatar Lia says:
    2024-02-27 at 12:10

    Well this is brilliant. We’ve all felt this way (or something along these lines at least) about inspiration, and writing about it so well somehow shows that the “muse” is there all along, and the very moment and its deep appreciation is what coaxes it into helping us write such a beautifully-written poem as this one, if we are lucky, or attentive enough, that is… congrats!!

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. klekie's avatar Kate says:
    2024-02-27 at 22:24

    I think you did entice her back to your right arm. Wonderful, Bartholomew.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. LuAnne Holder's avatar LuAnne Holder says:
    2024-02-28 at 13:04

    Great images. I really liked “tapered fingernail intent”. Oh, and I am a believer that all questions are unanswerable. :)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Dawn Pisturino's avatar Dawn Pisturino says:
    2024-02-28 at 15:52

    Gorgeous poem!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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