Introducing a new series of poems by Julian Matthews. Julian is a writer and Pushcart-nominated poet published in The American Journal of Poetry, Autumn Sky Poetry Daily, Borderless Journal, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Dream Catcher Magazine, Live Encounters Magazine, Lothlorien Poetry Journal and The New Verse News, among others. He is a mixed-race minority from Malaysia and lived in Ipoh for seven years. Currently based in Petaling Jaya, he is a media trainer and consultant for senior management of multinationals on Effective Media Relations, Social Media and Crisis Communications. He was formerly a journalist with The Star and Nikkei Business Publications Inc
Link: https://linktr.ee/julianmatthews
By Julian Matthews
I use obscure search engines to excavate your presence online⠀
I know you are there⠀
Alive
— Somewhere —⠀
I just have to look harder
like an archaeologist on the final dig⠀
gently dusting gravel off the crevices of pages⠀
sticking fingers in the nook between the Web and the Dark Web⠀
probing for the amber fossil of your existence⠀
It is perhaps an exercise to fill the post-hole in this heart⠀
It could be an unfinished thought you boldly claimed⠀
maybe someone had captured it⠀
maybe you were walking by in a photo⠀
maybe you are in the blurred background of a video⠀
A shadow among the pixels
Maybe you left a comment no one knew about⠀
— Anonymously —⠀
buried in a long-forgotten thread⠀
and everyone ignored what you said⠀
Maybe I’d recognise your tone⠀
your turn of phrase⠀
your dry wit
your last refrain⠀
your disdain of the insanity of it all⠀
— Life —⠀
Until I come upon a 404⠀
that says you are no more⠀
No results found
Gone.
First published in Verse-Virtual Journal, California, USA.
