what is a necktie if not a symbol
of white male domination
and decades of cultural oppression?
amid diminishing colonial powers
the archaic rules remain
codified in the house of parliament
in the land of the young and the free
where the day of invasion
is still a celebrated national holiday
when the indigenous leader stands
to speak he is silenced
but refuses to submit to their yoke
the issue is bigger than dress codes
it’s about conformity
a whitewashing of past and present
what is business attire for one man
is the noose of another
‘take the noose
from around my neck
so that I can sing
my song’ – MP Rawiri Waititi
J. Archer Avary (he/him) is a chameleon, a product of his environment, a restless wanderer. In past lives he was a TV weatherman, punk rock drummer, champion lionfish hunter, ocean conservationist. At age 44, he still doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up. Maybe a poet? He is the editor of Sledgehammer Lit. His recent work can be found in Journal of Erato, The Daily Drunk, Skyway Journal, and HASH Journal. He lives on a tiny island in the English Channel. He can be found on twitter at https://twitter.com/j_archer_avary
the Decolonial Passage 
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