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 am of the great unwashed,
a weather-bender, nomadic tenter,
polyester pop-on, undercover companion
I am upright, rain or shine, on a crooked handler,
a man-made bloom like an overnight mushroom,
a shape-shifting twirling transformer
I am velcroed in an unassuming roll,
a sleeper agent until triggered by a click
and Voila! I change from listless pole
to erect parasol, a shaft sprung into action,
ready to roof and prove my loyalty
to head, crown and citizen of one
I am spoked and spoken-for, my owner a loner,
but sometimes a shared loaner for a twosome,
caught in a failed forecast, an upturned
craft crossing puddles as if it were the Rubicon
for a clandestine liaison, diving into a safehouse
like swapped spies coming in from the cold
I am the purposeful, prophylactic protector
from the pelting downpour, determined to shield
my wary ward from any sudden exposure
If cornered in a chase scene, teamwork
is of the essence as we conjure up cover
to counter and deflect the liquid ambush
I am the streetwise sidekick, a trooper in any storm,
until the crisis is averted, then shaken
and stirred and rolled back into anonymity again
I am the stealthy spook some may overlook,
the brotherly brolly that when in doubt,
you should never leave home without
First published in Spillwords Press, USA.
