jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the month “December, 2012”

another iowa winter


nobody knows what the weather
is like in iowa
just like they don’t know gigantic
potatoes only grow in idaho

in january it’s so damn cold here
the cows don’t move
so it’s easy to walk right up to them
and snap photograph after photograph

there are no metropolises in iowa
just little towns
with a post office and a tavern
where you can tie your horse to a post

in the winter the winds blow so cold
it leaves you shivering
until march when the sun penetrates
the earth and reality begins to blossom


copyright j matthew waters
december two thousand twelve
all rights reserved

expecting


i’m expecting my baby home
any time
expecting her to open
the door
and greet me with that
smile
i haven’t seen
since telling me
she never felt more alive


december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

breaking the silence


it was the silence he said
that rocked his world
giving him thoughtful insight
into the universe

i thought that sounded nice
so i ordered another round
and asked him to feed me more

he said god would visit him often
while fishing the deep pools
lock and dam fourteen created
near the banks of the mississippi

it was there when the whole world
slept that catfish after catfish
struck his line
breaking the silence
and exorcising
the demons
planted inside him centuries ago
by a paranoid church and state

i leaned back in the barstool
and nodded my head
drawing smoke to my lungs
curiously asking him
about the bait he used
as the bartender yelled
‘last call’


december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

the natural rink


the lighted pond
attracted the townsfolk
on christmas eve
all eager to trade their boots for blades
and chase their shadows
across the ice
their arms and legs seemingly moving
in different directions
as feet shuffle and glide
race and coast
their chatter audible and visible
in the bright brisk air
with an occasional rump
every so often
testing the thickness
of the natural rink


december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

the escort


you entered my life
in a most unexpected way
leaving me to dwell
on all things
naturally good
giving me a sliver of hope
for achieving peace
within
before i am escorted
out the door

december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

history repeats itself


it’s another cold day
but it’s not like i don’t need an excuse
anyway
to stay below in the cave
like some recluse
who doesn’t have a clue
what’s going on
in the world

there’s nothing out there
for me
anyway
except gas stations
and the grocery store
where i go incognito
to buy cases of beer
and cat food

there’s no sense in buying
a newspaper
because i know
it just regurgitates
the horrors
of this world
repeating itself
day after bloody day

i write letters to old friends
hoping they are alive
enough
to read them
and let them know
to hell
with the high school
reunion



december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

outside my window


peering out my window
clouds gather around
and darken
a once promising
bright day

blackbirds circle above
slowly descending
and squawking
instinctively finding
shelter

thunder murmurs and moans
and i close my eyes
suppressing
a distant memory
knocking

once the showers arrive
i gaze past the pane
your image
refreshing like the rain
falling



december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

criminal recording


he stirred his mind
with cunning plots
and wicked thoughts
his energies focused
on lining his pockets
with ill-gotten gains
his conniving ways
always in motion
even as he slept
into the evening
dreaming in detail
what the night will bring



december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

tomorrow


i sit in the garden of good
and evil
and wonder if i’ve witnessed
enough

the quiet and beauty
of the garden
stands in dark contrast
to the cruel corners
of a violent
planet

i sometimes wonder
how the sunrise
will hit the acropolis
a thousand years from now
wonder in what way
i’ll be able to archive it
and recall it
again and again

(i’ve witnessed the birth
and near drowning death
of a child
only to be brought back to life
by a breath
i never knew existed)

as i sit in the garden
i understand there is more
to accomplish
on the other side of the hill
understand there will always be more
on the other side
where the fish jump
and the mountains climb
where promises sometimes
fall short
and recklessness
is always welcome

just like sound is neither
past nor present
there is no more tomorrow
there is only the garden



december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

the exorcist


I hadn’t been afraid for so long
that when the inevitable came
knocking at my door
I checked my pulse
and let the shadow in

an eerie thought cooled my palms
and sharpened my eyes
leading me to believe
I was on the verge
of losing my sanity

I issued a self-restraint citation
against my worse judgement
barricading myself
in the confessional
waiting for a priest



december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

weather woman


i’m in love with the weather woman
but i’m afraid to let her know

i love how she tells me
when my sun will shine

and when the rain
will soak my thoughts
with impossible dreams

and when the wind
will blow my blues away

i’m in love with the weather woman
but i’m afraid if she knew
she would concoct a storm
and send me tumbling away
like some insignificant snowflake



december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

scrying pool


no sooner did he dream
of the shallow pond
it became real
outside his back door

he filled it with koi
lilies and bog plants
laboring with love
on hands and knees

as in the dream
he sprinkled the surface
with crushed meteorite
and butterfly wings

word soon spread
of the man with a gift
who gave visions
to strangers
in need of healing


december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

innocence


the little ones walked
along the shore
hand in hand
breathing in the heavenly air
created from a soft breeze
rolling in from the tide

without supervision
they are left
alone on the path
of safety and knowledge
hopeful the answers exist
beyond the distant light





december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

ransom


she hadn’t seen the light
of day in a week and the
only voice she ever heard
made her physically ill

the man inside her head
said she had better live
so she obeyed
and prayed
for real-time changes

negotiated agreements
led to predetermined exchanges
between skin
and gold




december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

high noon


the turtle faced
a daunting challenge
but figured if a one-trick pony
could beat a donkey
then offing the rabbit
with a colt forty-five
should be as easy
as getting
a gun permit



december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

fertility


after the lights went out
and the snow plows were grounded
the people took their arms
and left for the country
to find fuel for the fire

a decade later and a
generation forsaken
all the little girls turned into mothers
sooner than anyone
could ever have imagined


december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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