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 not your keepsake
Hidden in a wind-up musical box
With a China-made plastic ballerina
that pops up and spins on cue
I am not your cupcake
Nor your red velvet cake
Your after-meal dessert topped
with cream cheese and cherries
Your quickie tidbit and afterglow cigarette
I am your grinding heartache
The bed you make and unmake
The fears in your soaked blanket
The reason you hug your bolster too tight
and never switch off the lights
I am not a snowflake of past seasons
The faded token to be put away and forgotten
The shiny bauble that was broken
Shattered and trashed from your memory
the tyranny of the unspoken
I am not your keepsake,
was never your sake to keep
I am a sharpened stake,
your first and last mistake
An avenging angel guided by prayer
The horror film prequel no one asked for
The never-ending sequel to your every nightmare
It’s never too late, just you wait, just you wait!
Stay awake! Stay awake!
(Even though, you’re dead)
First published in literary magazine Masticadores Canada, edited by Ray Whitaker.
