Author Archives: Bartholomew Barker

About Bartholomew Barker

Bartholomew Barker is one of the organizers of Living Poetry, a collection of poets and poetry lovers in the Triangle region of North Carolina. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he makes money as a computer programmer to fund his poetry habit.

With Each Passing Year

Posted on 2022/09/27 by Bartholomew Barker

With Each Passing Year Food loses its flavor.The sun gets dimmer,the atmosphere thinner.I can’t catch my breath. The Earth’s molten coreis spinning slower like a topwobbling— I feel gravity tiltbeneath my feet as I walk. Years fly by fasterthan months … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Free Verse Revolution: Tahmina

Posted on 2022/09/24 by Bartholomew Barker

I am very proud to announce that one of my poems, Another Birth, has been published in the current issue of Free Verse Revolution: Tahmina: (love & loss). You can download the PDF for free but, once you see it, … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments

Fraiku: Freedom

Posted on 2022/09/23 by Bartholomew Barker

Why are those who cryFreedom loudest, waving the flag,the first to ban books? for Banned Books Week

Posted in Ephemera | 17 Comments

Confirmation Bias

Posted on 2022/09/20 by Bartholomew Barker

Confirmation Biasor We All Go To Heaven The council of my inner voicevotes and the tally showsI’m still mostly a good guy. I rarely renege on promises,shoplift from the liquor storeor cheat on my girlfriends. But they’ve spent years craftingthis … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Fraiku: Insanity

Posted on 2022/09/16 by Bartholomew Barker

Re-electing incumbents and expecting laws to change We’re entering election season here in the U. S. A. If you want to vote the bums out, you’ve got to be registered. If you think you’re registered, they might have purged you. … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , , , , | 25 Comments

Eye of the Beholder

Posted on 2022/09/13 by Bartholomew Barker

Eye of the Beholder Metal tongs pull a slice of prime ribonto my plate at the buffet.I notice a brunette at another tableand avoid staring at her legs. Turkey buzzards cluster around a fallen doelike little stout Deaths in feathered … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Self Portrait at Panoply

Posted on 2022/09/10 by Bartholomew Barker

I am very proud to announce that my Self Portrait has been published at Panoply, A Literary Zine. I’ve been submitting to Panoply for years so this is especially gratifying. Big thanks to Andrea, Clara, Jeff, and Ryn there. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

Fraiku: Lunacy

Posted on 2022/09/09 by Bartholomew Barker

At sunset the sky lifts her skirt— full moon rises tonight we howl

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

The Day After

Posted on 2022/09/05 by Bartholomew Barker

The Day After Starlings erupt from a distant fieldlike an avian disease infecting the skyafter exhausting their previous host. The flock calligraphs my child’s name,mocking my grief and pareidolia. (For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: Avian and a Bernie’s challenge to … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , , , | 23 Comments

Fraiku: Kitchen Considerations

Posted on 2022/09/02 by Bartholomew Barker

The cheese is growing a respectable green beard. Fridge must be broken.

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments