One Poem by Bartholomew Barker

 

Happy Hour

Still in our dry-clean only's
my tie loosened— top button
relaxed after the work day

At a long cobbled-together table
of overlapping conversations
her voice is all I hear

Her smile framed by wine-stains
our laughter a duet conducted
with stemmed glasses

Her diamonded finger
lingers on my left hand
a little too long

Goodnight hug in the parking lot
chaste kisses on each cheek
we climb into different cars

Driving to different homes
and different spouses
as the familiar warmth fades

Leaving the understanding
that this is not unrequited
it is merely unspoken

Bartholomew Barker is one of the organizers of Living Poetry, a collection of poets and poetry lovers in the Triangle region of North Carolina. 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 makes money as a computer programmer to fund his poetry habit. www.bartbarkerpoet.com