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 a question mark in drag
Hooked top, no period at the bottom
Instead, a figure of eight like a skinny swan
or a ballerina in flight
Ready to bear their ready-to-wear
I hung around in closets
Until it was time to come out
Sprung by my jailor, I was often flung
onto beds, stripped off the outfits
they framed
My steel was sealed in plastic
to soften my edges, and be kinder to
their precious fabric
I served them both indoors and out,
pouting in wardrobes or basking in the sun
I brought order to disorder
Put everything in neat rows, a space-saver
I was a minimalist long before decluttering
was a trend to spark joy
in their condos
Sometimes, though, my jailor turned me
into a discipline dispenser
I felt every stroke on tender bums
and would purposely bend out of shape
to end the harshness quicker
Such punishment never fits the crime—
I am a garment-lover not a fighter,
An up-lifter, a shoulder-loaner
everyone in the end needs something
to hang on to
First published in Men Matters Online Journal, Malaysia.
