Caliente
written by: Bartholomew Barker
@bartbarkerpoet
for Calista
Walking up a carpeted staircase
can’t remember how I got here
having trouble telling dreams
from reality— don’t like to judge
There’s a warmth to my side
a hand in the crook of my arm
I see long legs cascading
from a shimmering violet dress
We’re in a little velvet room
I can’t unstick a hair from my lips
feeling hot and cold like my feet
kicked from beneath a comforter
Her body presses against mine
like a pillow after a night
absorbing body heat — caliente
grins a voice dripping Merlot
If only she’d bite my neck
then I’d know for sure
if I need to wake up
or fall asleep
Bartholomew Barker is one of the organizers of Living Poetry, a collection of poets and poetry readers 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. 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.
Latest posts by Bartholomew Barker (see all)
- Caliente - May 23, 2023
- The Great Pumpkin Moon - October 22, 2022
- Falling Out - August 16, 2022
