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
“Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy,” they said. Prince William and Prince Harry at the unveiling of Princess Diana statue.
I do not think a statue does justice to you
It’s unblinking, grey and stiff
Like a corpse
Your wax figure in Tussauds too is a ghostly representation,
though I have never seen it in person
Just the insta photobombers with their arms draped around you,
creepy hands on your shoulder, or hugging your waist like a giant Barbie
I note they change your dresses often
To keep you fresh, I suppose
Like a scarecrow in an open wheat field
A decoy trussed up on a fence post
to ward off pests — and draw fan posts
What an offence to who you were, your humanity
Even a digital photo of you shows more heart,
more compassion
— a life lived in the service of others
I see the shock and fear in your eyes, now
I hear your shallow breathing,
your last words: “Oh my God, what’s happened?”
And I recall her stone-cold text to me
when mum died:
“You were never there.”
And I knew then, as I know now,
there will be no statues in her name
Only this monumental pain
And the pillar of salt
between us.
First published in “Poems From County Clare And Far Beyond: an anthology by Irish poets and their friends around the world”, available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/dYIyLRl
