We published seven Sorta-Sonnets, a very intentional number. I then took two lines from each of the poems and mashed them together into this pastiche, which is another Sorta-Sonnet. My gratitude to all the poets who submitted and to Sammi Cox for her indulgence.
Sorta-Sonnet Pastiche
Punishment in the afterlife is a quaint idea
there is an abundance of talent
walking the mystery and illusions of being in love
I feel a little drunk
It takes a long time to die
millions can see the problems
in the light of the sun solstice rain you howl
or is it the other way around
I’ve become the curator of your museum
sweet summer memories held in a jar
transform into people with thoughts
and time drifts like ash
My eyes drink in all beauty
and lasso this scene and take it home
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.
Selected by the editor as a featured submission, March 2023
Well done Bartholomew, and thank you for editing this series of Sorta-Sonnets.
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A creative idea that contrives, somehow, to make sorta sense.
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Sorta sense is good enough for poetry. 🙂
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I’ve done pastiches a couple of times, once was during an open mic which added time pressure to the compilation. I think it’s a trick of our minds where we want things to make sense but it works.
This was just my attempt to honor and thank the poets who contributed.
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Thanks for letting me guest edit Whispers & Echoes!
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Thank you so much for all your hard work over the past few months on this project, Bartholomew. Whispers and Echoes has been enriched by this series and your time as guest editor. Thank you so much!
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Nice work!
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