jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

what’s stopping you

I cut you out of my life without
a tear or tantrum
freeing my mind from noise
that once crowded my thoughts
and dulled my senses
nearly leaving me motionless with
barely an original thought

over time a healing of sorts
reversed decades of
destructive habits
old impulses slowly replaced
by a voice discovering
its own truth
void of any outside influence

april two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged individuality, poem, poetry, procrastination, voice

19 thoughts on “what’s stopping you”

Lila on April 1, 2014 at 8:53 pm said:

“A voice discovering its own truth”.. what a great line.. smiles.

Reply ↓
- j matthew waters on April 1, 2014 at 8:56 pm said:
  
  Thank you for visiting and commenting on this piece, Lila.
  
  Reply ↓
The Course of Our Seasons on April 1, 2014 at 8:56 pm said:

a voice discovering its own truth….wonderful, John! K

Reply ↓
- j matthew waters on April 1, 2014 at 8:59 pm said:
  
  Thank so much, Kathleen – a welcoming thought, indeed.
  
  Reply ↓
Wordifull Melanie on April 1, 2014 at 10:23 pm said:

Ah…i discoverd long ago the only thing stopping me, my only obstacle is me.

I agree with the above, great line “by a voice discovering
its own truth”

Reply ↓
- j matthew waters on April 2, 2014 at 6:31 pm said:
  
  Hey Melanie – thanks so much for stopping by and commenting – love your voice!
  
  Reply ↓
thesewordsiwrite2012 on April 2, 2014 at 8:46 am said:

Love it.

Reply ↓
- j matthew waters on April 2, 2014 at 6:32 pm said:
  
  Thanks so much, D.J.
  
  Reply ↓
Lolamarina (@1Lolamarina) on April 5, 2014 at 7:34 pm said:

Nice, John. You found your voice!

Reply ↓
- j matthew waters on April 5, 2014 at 7:42 pm said:
  
  Thanks so much, Lola ;`)
  
  Reply ↓
BeingMama on April 6, 2014 at 8:55 pm said:

Yup, I like the line everyone else likes! A real winner 🙂

Reply ↓
- j matthew waters on April 6, 2014 at 8:58 pm said:
  
  Thanks so much for visiting and commenting, Kat 😀
  
  Reply ↓
ghostbusterbev on April 19, 2014 at 11:29 am said:

I like this poem, how it defines our growth and maturity over the seasons of life.

Reply ↓
- j matthew waters on April 19, 2014 at 3:15 pm said:
  
  So glad you enjoyed this piece, Beverley.
  
  Reply ↓
Kirsten on April 26, 2014 at 2:18 pm said:

I read this poem of yours awhile back and “liked” it, but today it spoke to me as I’m gathering up some poems of mine that deal with this very topic. Beautifully written and the sentiment behind it is powerful.

Reply ↓
j matthew waters on April 26, 2014 at 5:52 pm said:

Thanks so much revisiting this piece, Kirsten. I’m thrilled knowing this one spoke to you.

Reply ↓
Pleasant Street on November 29, 2016 at 10:57 pm said:

I had to make a cut like that once – it was painful and worth it.
Revisiting this after seeing it on Twitter and I am glad.

Reply ↓
- j matthew waters on November 30, 2016 at 6:00 am said:
  
  sometimes you forget about poems like these but when you go back and revisit you say to yourself oh yes I remember how this one came about….
  
  Reply ↓
denise0904 on July 26, 2017 at 10:43 am said:

love it…easy to identify with the emotion here.

Reply ↓

Leave a comment Cancel reply