First to circle the world in ninety minutes
First to shed the weight of Earthly pressures
First to see the firmament from the outside
May we all be as brave as Yuri
as we travel into the unknown
(Happy International Day of Human Space Flight and Yuri’s Night. Off we go!)
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 
Great tribute! Yuri and his family endured such hardship during WWII. He persevered magnificently!
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Indeed he did! We can barely imagine what the Russians went through during the occupation.
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Fine intro, Bartholomew.
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Thank you, Pat. Up, up and away!
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