Meditations on Isaiah 11:6 while Driving

Posted on 2024-05-13 by Bartholomew Barker

I trusted my instincts instead of GPS
and now I’m stuck in traffic

Lion roars when we get cut off by an SUV
demands a bloody wreck for justice

But I keep a tight grip on the wheel
and only flip the asshole off

At the next clog he climbs down
and storms up to my little hybrid

Lamb squeals at his approach
pleads to flee across the median

But I sit my ground — crack the window
shrug at his red-faced complaints

This is not what I expected
from the Peaceable Kingdom

But we’ll both get home alive and unmaimed
because we didn’t trust our instincts

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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 Meditations on Isaiah 11:6 while Driving

  1. ivor20's avatar ivor20 says:
    2024-05-13 at 19:58

    Non-plussed and cussed
    Self-trust is a must
    Re-adjust and don’t self-combust

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  2. johnlmalone's avatar johnlmalone says:
    2024-05-13 at 21:47

    terrific post, Bart; will have to look this one up —

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. johnlmalone's avatar johnlmalone says:
    2024-05-13 at 21:58

    ahh yes, the lyrics of that great gospel song: ‘Peace in the Valley’ :)

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. berniebell1955's avatar berniebell1955 says:
    2024-05-14 at 03:47

    I’m presently re-reading ‘Travels with Charley’ by John Steinbeck, in which he writes of very similar experiences!

    Liked by 1 person

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