Fraiku: Poetry on Demand

Just pen, paper and a word,
like writing on a tightrope,
instant feedback, no net.


I spent the afternoon writing poetry on demand at the Grace Hartigan exhibit in the North Carolina Museum of Art. We wrote 25 poems over three hours. I did eleven of them, mostly because I never left the booth while my fellow poets gave readings around the hall. But what really made me proud was making one of my customers cry with a poem about motherly love.

Pictured above beneath the portrait Grace Hartigan, JeanMarie, me, Gypsie and Angelika, founder of Living Poetry.

 

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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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9 Responses to Fraiku: Poetry on Demand

  1. trE's avatar trE says:

    Now this… is a fraiku I’d love to see.

    “But what really made me proud was making one of my customers cry with a poem about motherly love.”

    It sounds like you had an incredible time, Bart!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Nice to see your smiling faces, Living Poetry bards. Well done

    Ps. I like my endure poem

    Liked by 2 people

  3. JeanMarie's avatar JeanMarie says:

    You’re a Rockstar B!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Pingback: Poetry in Person! – Words from JeanMarie

  5. How brave you are to do that. I bet I would have choked!

    Liked by 2 people

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