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 sprinkle flour like stardust,
press and mould this ingrained pain
into a pliable dough i can bear
each of us is an untested recipe
waiting to mix it up, improvise,
share our unleavened, salty souls
we fear the burn yet stir and churn,
measure out the weighted repercussions,
butter the beaten batter, stuff the ovened hurt
sometimes the crust hardens, cracks
start to show, the temperature’s too high–
you can’t preheat a woodfire heart
yet, i persist: my webbed words knead
this gossamer interplay, spread sugary
crumbs to draw you into this messy galley
i am not sour, though – just slather me up,
melt the cheese, raise a toast, let’s be open
to whatever sweetness may come next
First published in Live Encounters Poetry & Writing, 16th Anniversary edition, Volume Six, edited by Mark Ulyseas
