June 2022
Bio Note: I am published in The American Journal of Poetry, Beltway Poetry Quarterly and Borderless Journal, among others. I am a former journalist based in Malaysia.
404
I use obscure search engines to excavate your presence online⠀
I know you are there⠀
Alive
— Somewhere —⠀
⠀
I just have to look harder
like an archaeologist on the final dig⠀
gently dusting gravel off the crevices of pages⠀
sticking fingers in the nook between the Web and the Dark Web⠀
probing for the amber fossil of your existence⠀
It is perhaps an exercise to fill the post-hole in this heart⠀
⠀
It could be an unfinished thought you boldly claimed⠀
maybe someone had captured it⠀
maybe you were walking by in a photo⠀
maybe you are in the blurred background of a video⠀
A shadow among the pixels
⠀
Maybe you left a comment no one knew about⠀
— Anonymously —⠀
buried in a long-forgotten thread⠀
and everyone ignored what you said⠀
⠀
Maybe I'd recognise your tone⠀
your turn of phrase⠀
your dry wit
your last refrain⠀
your disdain of the insanity of it all⠀
— Life —⠀
⠀
Until I come upon a 404⠀
that says you are no more⠀
No results found
Gone.
©2022 Julian Matthews
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