I Want To Be A Tree When I Grow Up
written by: Bartholomew Barker
Nothing ostentatious
I don’t want to be a sequoia
or have some historical significance
no proclamations in my honor
signed by the governor
Just a regular tree in the woods
unfurling my leaves
in the warm spring
dropping them in autumn
when they become too showy
Maybe an ash— tall with smooth gray bark
and hard wood— deep roots holding me fast
entwined with the Earth and old
so old I don’t even notice the days
or the birds nesting in my hair
But I’m just a short soft human
a dandelion dreaming of sunflowers
Bartholomew Barker is an organizer of Living Poetry, 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 the Pushcart Prize in 2021 & 2025 as well as the Best of the Net Anthology in 2024. His work has appeared in The Lake, Autumn Sky Poetry Daily, Panoply, Tipton Poetry Journal, the Gyroscope Review and the Naugatuck River Review among others.
Latest posts by Bartholomew Barker (see all)
- I Want To Be A Tree When I Grow Up - July 29, 2026
- Night Tea with Honey - May 9, 2026
- Nevermore - October 23, 2025
