Author Archives: Bartholomew Barker

About Bartholomew Barker

Bartholomew Barker was born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough, North Carolina where he makes money as a computer programmer to fund his poetry habit.

Pre-Modern

Posted on 2019/09/02

We erected statues to those leaders who inspired or enslaved, back when things got done. There was a kind of progress— armies marched to kill, factories produced and polluted. It was a simpler time, when a nation’s wealth was calculated … Continue reading →

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Duty

Posted on 2019/08/26

Yesterday I hosted a germination workshop for Living Poetry. We had six poets working with eight prompts over two hours. One of the prompts was to write about duty. Duty Even when the words won’t run some days they barely … Continue reading →

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Chana Saag, Hot

Posted on 2019/08/12

Chana Saag, Hot I set fire to my mouth with self delusion, misbelieving I could handle the spice. Water doesn’t put it out it spreads it around like flames and gasoline. Nose running, scalp sweating, lips smouldering. My stomach — … Continue reading →

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Asthma

Posted on 2019/07/30

Asthma More wheezing than breathing, like a blood pressure cuff tightening around my chest. Shoulders clenched to the neck, eyes glassy, diaphragm sore, exhausted from lack of air. More panic than pain, being wrung like a rag. You try relaxing … Continue reading →

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Gerald Ford’s Grave

Posted on 2019/07/18

My summer road trip has been disappointing in the lack of any new ancestral graves and I’ve barely made any progress on my genealogy so I thought I’d go for an easy win. I’ve been collecting Dead Presidents since my … Continue reading →

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I Write Her Weekly Haiku/Senryu Challenge #27

Posted on 2019/07/10

Her sly supple skin painted with welcoming words I’m eager to read   (I follow a lot of poetry blogs and see various challenges floating around but this particular visual prompt by Bill Wadman got my attention, I assume the … Continue reading →

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Astronaut Sonnet

Posted on 2019/07/03

Astronaut Sonnet She floats in orbit around the pole wearing a skintight see-through spacesuit. She scans the club, observing the primitives who slip green paper into her Möbius garter. She doesn’t belong, neither angel nor alien, strutting eight inches above … Continue reading →

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Hourglass Published

Posted on 2019/06/27

My poem Hourglass was published this morning on Olive Skins, a new online journal for surreal or abstract art. Check it out!  

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Remember?

Posted on 2019/06/26

Remember? Remember when we fought Nazis instead of defending them? Remember when we liberated concentration camps instead of building them? Remember when we welcomed refugee children instead of jailing them? The greatest generation is dying and their grandchildren have become … Continue reading →

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Lake House

Posted on 2019/06/19

Lake House She lies in forest Green fresh from rain Living breath of earth Cool summer morn Mirrored in the lake Spinning dawn ghosts Light spilling over Guarding mountains She welcomes me back Slipping her doors With comfortable warmth ‘Round … Continue reading →

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