When I Die - Bartholomew Barker

When I die

It will be
a foolish death
swimming too far
playing in surf
swept out to sea

I will panic
until lungs fill
brain sputtering out
after too many years
of oxygen

Then enjoy the final silence
of ocean under waves
body settling to sand
far below the cold cold wind

Art credit – Elizabeth Stark
Originally published by Post Card Poems & Prose Magazine 2015

Bartholomew Barker was one of the organizers of Living Poetry in the Triangle region of North Carolina. His only poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, appeared in 2013 followed by Milkshakes and Chilidogs, a chapbook of food inspired poems in 2017, both published posthumously. Born and raised in Ohio, he was living and working in Hillsborough at the time of his apparent death. This poem was found scrawled on a napkin in his hotel room on the Outer Banks in September 2012. His body was never found though his blog, www.bartbarkerpoet.com, continues to be updated with posts apparently scheduled years ago.