strikes stem from the skies
originating between
the clouds & the stars
randomized citizenry
jolted back to life
in the dead of the night
what used to be
infrequent close encounters
has become hell on earth
as if an alien race
nobody can see
plays god from the ether
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
so I agreed to met with this person
who said they had no agenda
—up to twenty inquiries allowed
but I had another thing in mind
(having awakened in a bed
that was not my own)
such as presenting each question
in the form of a wrong answer
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
living in a multiple choice world
I’ve elected to call in sick
having no real ailment
except for the ones
instilled into me by academia
in & around happy hour
I catch the bourgeois walking
out of glass-covered skyscrapers
smart bombs in backpacks
maybe a pearl-handled derringer
cleverly concealed
some say the dark ages
are right around the corner
if not already upon us
ignited by the discontent
lying low in the wings
brought back to life
by the progeny of the privilege
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is information
in the grapevine
palpitations in the bleeding hearts
tiny mirrors in the garden
playing tricks with the sun
attracting wings of all sizes
protecting the evolution
of a fragile ground game
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
one day I won’t be a burden
spoken about on rare occasions
about hummingbird feeders
the old convertible in the garage
some stories will be harsh
others fatally funny
near death experiences retold
—the runaway character
the recluse looking down upon the sea
I never expressed final wishes
but once imagined being a tree
planted along the cedar
just as she succumbs to the iowa
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I was eavesdropping on their conversation
hoping between the lines
there might reside some sort of poetry
however it became a sad situation
how the latter was not in tune with the former
& vice versa
both seemingly drifting apart
since the day their music died
but when learning death had reawakened
into her earthly body
I came to understand the madness
residing inside his compassion
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
they released 2000 rainbow trout
in liberty pond the other day
an event unintentionally clandestine
I looked it up myself after the fact
having been preannounced by the
department of natural resources
there is no conspiracy to be found here
but merely an opportunity
what with an ultra-light rod & tackle box
tidily packed in the corner of my trunk
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the heart quickens
& eyes sharpen
arms & legs working precisely
the mind machine-like
& built for lightspeed
racing through darkness
becoming forever new
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
they’ve been planting seeds
in the clouds
how can you not see the tulips
in the sky
as plain as day
in any color imaginable
rainbows in mars do no exist
at least not yet on record
the rain in spain
hasn’t been the same
for a number of decades & counting
and the oceans
whether here on earth
or any watery exoplanet
how much plastic
can they possibly consume
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
a while back
my father called me
seven times in two days
presenting me with
the very same question
twenty-seven years
his younger
my long-term memory
remains (seemingly) in
pristine condition
—but what will come of me
in the short-term
eludes me
that is until the next call
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the recipe calls for two tablespoons
of distilled white vinegar
but if apple cider is all you got
then that will have to do
but be sure to reference the disclaimer
barely visible below
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the bridge was made of wood & stone
admired by the fauna of the day
construction lasting from
equinox to equinox
having lost the lives of many
beneath the golden span
stories evolved generationally
legends of dragons & trolls & billy goats
[taking their turn over time]
preserving all lost souls buried there
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
night is falling
suspended light dancing
in the sultry air
atop the tall white oaks
blackbirds gather noisily
chattering like subdued maniacs
devising something spectacular
in their mind
there is no disk that is the sun
having been stolen by sorcerers
a wildfire left in its wake
spreading horizontally
like firefighters
the blackbirds take flight
extinguishing all thought as their
collective call fades like a waning siren
consumed by an inevitable destruction
that is illusory at best
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
a five-pointed star fell from the sky
landing in a field behind a row of houses
upon closer examination
it was made out of wood
it smelled like cedar
a wood that never dies
after crashing to the ground
it had busted in three places
one said we can piece it together
using glue & screws
another said and then we can hoist it
back into the sky using chains & pulleys
and a third agreed and ran with purpose
to fetch the necessary supplies
to repair the wounded star
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I got mustard on my keyboard
and like most things from my past
I find myself swiping
& starting over again
the potato salad could use
a little more mustard
I remember telling myself post facto
enjoying a glass of vienna lager
in the parlor
I wasn’t expecting company
but someone let them in
(one after the other)
and next thing I knew
my beer was nearly gone
this wasn’t a poetry workshop
but rather ideas that fly in the face
of artistic merit
like passing the bucket hat
from one armchair critic to the next
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she said I saw you
flirting with death the other day
and where was that I replied
fairly certain she had me confused
with some other restless heart
oh I don’t know she went on to say
it may have been at the tar pits
or was it somewhere inside the marsh
I haven’t been spelunking
or tangling with gators of late
though perhaps you’ve been devising ways
to infiltrate my fearless dreams
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 