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
Poems are boring, you say, it puts me to sleep.
Each of us is a poet, I say, even if you don’t know it. Look at the moon. You could say the moon is a bright yellow balloon.
But, you say, it only reflects light, makes none of its own. The moon is not a balloon because it’s airless and has no strings attached.
Maybe that is why, I say, it is so consistent and why it will outlast humanity. It influences us, but not in the way influencers do. It knows when to shine and when to disappear. And is just near enough to affect us, but not too close to spin us out of our orbit. So, too, poetry.
But the moon has a darkside, you say, which it never shows us.
Yea, I say, we all have a darkside. And most people don’t care to see it. It’s only when it’s on full display that we lose it. Some of us may empathise when you show it. Some of us may turn away. Darksides matter. But it’s your own private business. Like the moon, keep it to yourself.
I get you, you say, but you write a lot of sad stuff in your poems.
I do, I say. The sad stuff may come from my darkside but it’s art. And all art is poetry. And all poetry is a means to connect to our humanity, to life, to reflect the light in all of us.
So the moon, you say, is a lot like us?
Yes, I say.
I love the moon, you say.
I love the moon too, I say.
There, did you see what we just did? We – you and me – just wrote a poem. And it didn’t put us to sleep. And it wasn’t boring. Now go write another.
Can it be about the sun, you ask.
Yes, I beam, that’s a good place to start.
First published in Steel Jackdaw Magazine, UK, editor Jason Conway.
