Gave my fish a bicycle
for his birthday
but he does not ride
it around his bowl.
Gave my loyal dog Bobo
a modern poetry anthology
but I never see him reading
though it has been chewed.
Gave the cat Moriarty a phone
so I can call when he’s out late —
but he never answers. Found
it buried in his litter box.
I was just interrupted by a knock
at my front door — more missionaries.
For this week’s Monday Poetry 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 
Cute!
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Thanks, Dawn! I didn’t think the phone in the litter box was all that cute but I guess it’s in the eye of the beholder.
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love this one, Bart: mundane and marvellous :)
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Thank you very much, John! I always try to make the mundane marvelous!
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So fun! Good humor.
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Thank you, Annabel! So glad you enjoyed it.
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Most welcome! 🥳
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Love this! I tend to love anything with animals, but this one also reminds me powerfully of some relatives who keep giving the most unusable gifts! I don’t get the reference to missionaries, though.
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Thank you! And thank you for the feedback. I need to think of a way to clarify my missionary reference. I’ll post an additional comment.
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Funny! But I’m stumped on the missionary
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I was, too JeanMarie, at first. But possibly Bart sees himself as a missionary to his pets? Could that be it?
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Thank you both for the valuable feedback. I’ll post an additional comment concerning my interpretation.
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Well since the poem is about the pets getting gifts they don’t use I think perhaps the missionaries are offering the author spiritual advice which he’s not interested in.
ps.i know the author…. heathen atheist that he is :) hee hee
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Perhaps your “behind-the-scenes” knowledge influenced you interpretation but I’d say you’re right on.
How about this revised final couplet:
Some missionaries knocked on my door.
Now I know how the fish feels.
Any clearer?
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Too clear! I think you should stick to being mysterious 😊
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Thanks for the feedback! The balance between mysterious and obvious is difficult to maintain.
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Bart, I like the revised lines but I also like the original. Your choice Poet
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I think this poem is about gifts, especially considering the title. The fish, dog and cat each got a gift. Maybe the missionaries tried to give the voice of the poem a gift.
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I took it as being about unwanted/un-needed gifts – hence my comment in m’blog. As to whether Bart. needs help with his beliefs or not – that’s a whole other question!
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PS…..
One of my Facebook ‘friends’ and his friends were having a discussion about if it’s possible to know the will of God…here’s my tuppenceworth – as always, Bart chooses whether to post it or not….
“Just how I see it…..
It’s not necessary to know what ‘God’s will‘ is – it’s more important to have some idea of what is a basically humane, fair way to be in this world.
‘God’s will’ has been interpreted and used in some very damaging ways through the millennia and across the world by folk who thought/think they had/have ‘God on their side’ – and bash anyone who disagreed/disagrees.
I needn’t go on about this – it’s plain to see in human behaviour and history.
I’d say that ‘Do as you would be done by’ is the key to how to approach life and our fellow beings.
That’s just how I see it.
Namaste”
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All I did was take out the YouTube video since I don’t it slowing down my site if it gets taken down for some reason.
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That’s a reasonable interpretation and I’m always interested in better grounding my beliefs.
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Seems to me about unneeded gifts, how we miss what is actually needed as we go around ‘gifting’ things and opinions.
Either way, clever writing as is inviting to much consideration.
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I like that interpretation!
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Hahahaha I love this! 🤣💚
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Glad you enjoyed it, CB!
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Very much, thank you for creating.
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‘Bartholomew Barker is subtle and clever’….and in m’blog again…
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16771
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Thank you for the repost, BB!
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I thought you might like the NASA link too.
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Indeed I did. Thanks!
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Haha hilarious 😆
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I love this it made me smile. I just thought the missionaries were another unwanted ‘gift’. 😁
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Thank you, Carolyn. Spot on!
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A great take on futility, Bart! Our “No soliciters” sign works sometimes! 😊
s
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Thanks, Cheryl! I’d like to see you write a poem titled “The futility of the No Soliciters sign”
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We have had missionaries tell us they are not soliciters! 😊
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I guess the best salesmen don’t believe that they are, in fact, salesmen.
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😄
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Oh, my! 😁😅😆
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That’s right!
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Ha ha! Love the ending 🤩
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Thanks, Sunny! Glad you like it.
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That’s such a cute and happy Poem. It made me smile. Thank you for writing This ✨
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So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks, Anoushka!
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lol Right. Totally thoughtful. NOT!
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I don’t even answer the door anymore.
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I don’t blame you! lol
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A fun read, Bart!
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Glad you liked it, Barb!
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Bernie. There are many colorful expressions in the southern . They can be said very sincerely or they can be said with sarcasm. Either way I think this applies to Bart:
bless his heart. And, he needs prayer!
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