Fenrir is Coming

Posted on 2025-05-19 by Bartholomew Barker

I think I remember seeing my breath as a kid
but maybe that’s just a story my parents told—
like their claim I once tasted snow.

The Arctic ocean mirrors the azure sky—
I stand on the rail of a slow cruise ship
in summer, sunny all day and all night.

No more ice caps. No more Titanics.
We didn’t need a wolf to set the world aflame—
we did it ourselves, leaving him to dog-paddle

down to Ragnarok.

(For this week’s Living Poetry Prompt and Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt.)

This Friday the 23rd, I’ll be writing poetry on demand at the North Carolina Museum of Art as part of their Grace Hartigan exhibit. Come meet me, give me a word and I’ll write a poem just for you.

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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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15 Responses to Fenrir is Coming

  2. berniebell1955's avatar berniebell1955 says:
    2025-05-20 at 04:03

    I’m going to putter a bit….

    On the television there are repeated ads. for a Cruise to/through Antarctica. This includes an image of a BIG liner, ploughing its way through water full of lumps of ice, past cliffs of ice and land covered in Penguins.
    Presumably the people on these cruises don’t see the irony.
    Worse still – maybe they don’t care.

    THOSE LINERS SHOULD NOT BE THERE!

    Mutter, mutter, mutter…..

    It’s good to see Fenrir referenced. I’m of the view that the Maes Howe Dragon is more likely to represent Fenrir – the wolf – pierced by a sword – that’s just how I see it! …

    https://canmore.org.uk/collection/335903

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  3. ivor20's avatar ivor20 says:
    2025-05-20 at 08:04

    I hope the flame is still burning, Bart …
    “As a poet, sometimes we confuse ourselves, trying to create ashes, instead of fire ” … Leonard Cohen

    Liked by 2 people

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  4. Cheryl Batavia's avatar Cheryl Batavia says:
    2025-05-20 at 09:56

    Bart, to get a fuller appreciation of your poem, I had to learn a little Norse mythology. The poem is exquisite, and the message is sobering. Global warming is woven so cleverly with the myths. Beautifully written! 💕

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. Cheryl Batavia's avatar Cheryl Batavia says:
    2025-05-20 at 21:15

    I make it a point to learn something new every day. So you did me a great service! 💕

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. LuAnne Holder's avatar LuAnne Holder says:
    2025-05-23 at 18:26

    Oh, wow. That makes me sigh the sadness of the truth.

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. David Redpath's avatar David Redpath says:
    2025-05-23 at 23:19

    In Old Norse that makes
    Leonardo DiCaprio
    the Hróðvitnir of Wall Street.
    He being a Fame-Wolf 🐺
    . . . of course 😎

    Liked by 2 people

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