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
A snake swallowed a woman whole–
How horrid to awaken and find yourself
in an enclosed space, dark and alone
Once, I played hide-and-seek
Stayed quiet in a well-chosen spot
Could hear the screeches and laughter
of those being discovered in the distance
How clever am I, I thought to myself!
But then, as time passed, no one came for me
I giggled aloud, clattered the closet door
to help the seekers
Still nothing, the darkness enveloping
Alone, fearful, their voices fading
Had they forgotten me?
I imagine what it would be like to be wriggling
inside a serpent, to be taken, no endgame in sight
Wanting to step out of yourself and be found
yet remain stuck without any other option
The struggle within – for so many – is real
Perhaps the fruit offered to Eve then was just a compromise
Maybe she only agreed to eat it to save Adam
Sometimes we bite the bitter to maintain the status quo
Sometimes we stay – even when we know better to go
Not all tales end with: And they lived happily ever after.
Here are Red Riding Hood and her Grandma inside the Wolf
Here is the Hunter that got lost in the forest and never found them
Here are Hansel and Gretel in the witch’s oven
Here is Pinocchio left to rot in a closet
Here is the Beast stuck in the dungeon of his castle never to transform
Here is the woman inside the snake – not the other way around
Here is the sacrifice, the compromise, the atonement
and why you are still alive.
First published in Men Matters Online Journal, Issue 9, Malaysia.
