Egg balanced on railroad tracks
white as a late summer cloud
delicate as democracy
An iron train rumbles in like a storm
soon to obliterate the inner sun
rusted leaves swirling litter behind
A lumpy swamp-colored walnut crashes
to the ground just inches ahead of me
as if thrown by children
revealing its blackened heart
The old orange tomcat watches egg
and train and walnut and me
narrows his eyes as I walk past
already fat enough
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 
Happy Autumn! :)
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Happy Equinox to you too, Morgaine!
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Thank you! :)
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Happy Autumn, Bartholomew. Lots of fresh imagery here and the splatters in unexpected directions.
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And to you, Pat!
Yeah, I’m not sure what to make of those images. I think they’re connected.
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Amazing write!
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So glad you liked it, Rene!
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I’m enjoying your posts!
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I love the very striking imagery and photo, Bart.
At the moment, democracy does seem that fragile. A vivid and chilling reerence!
Happy Autumn!🍁
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Thank you, Cheryl! Unsurprisingly, I couldn’t find a free stock image of an egg on the tracks. However, an AI image maker did a reasonable job.
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It ia very convincing!
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I love how your poem has such vivid and striking imagery, inviting us to explore themes of fragility, destruction, and the passage of time. I especially like the last stanza, the old tomcat detached from it all, which is like a broader commentary on how life continues around us, regardless of the chaos or fragility present. 🙌 Happy autumn 🍂
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Happy autumn to you too, Ange. Thank you for your kind words. I made need to put an old tomcat in the last stanza of all my poems.
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🤣😻
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What a unique poem, Bart. I love how you pulled it all together at the end. A quite enjoyable read.
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Thank you so much, LuAnne! I wasn’t sure if this one would work for the equinox.
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