I was collecting rocks
outside the outer perimeter
humming along ‘californication’
and randomly selecting
which ones go in the satchel
and which ones get booted
I was on a solitary mission
assigned by a power
I imagined existed
and when I returned to base
with only the best samples
I was rewarded handsomely
april two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there’s much happening in the background
but it’s always been that way
this time though it’s closer to home
and with it comes a fear factor
the neighborhood’s not been the same
well before things were shut down
clamped down
locked down
new voices in a new language
broadcasting over the airwaves
it’s not difficult to learn something new
as long as there is proper motivation
like not wanting to die anytime soon
march two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
when will they figure out
nobody really lives here
that the present
is just an amalgamation of coming events
reshaped by an ever-changing past
where pyramids were built
by left-leaning mexicans
and futuristic border walls
by alt-right aliens
january two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
conspiracies run rampant
from county to county
traveling at the speed of fedex
via air or ground
press any button
what will it be this time
panic or easy or nuclear
going up up up
this time all the way to mars
yes it’s the truth
that often gets blocked
from the colorful masses
and those samples stolen
when you were under
are causing more harm than good
in everyone else’s body
january two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we got in the car
and made a beeline downtown
it was almost december
and it was goddamn cold
the northwest wind
having gone crazy all afternoon
I had the capital
and you had the road map
a big fat beaver moon
illuminating our every move
everyone knew the aliens
had the best microdust
the trick you said
was all in the translation
I’d been underground before
but not in the inner city
and as we continued
to descend further
an inner emotional voice
kept telling me to fear not
november two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
let us know what you don’t want
we’re taking anything we can
get our grubby little hands on
be it metal or paper or plastic
it makes no difference
it all adds up
new forces stealthily
patrol the neighborhood
collecting sterile & burnt offerings
a project within a project
experimenting with a brand new
law & order
drones with credentials
swoop down & aggregate
whatever’s considered handsome
taking any & all hand-me-downs
(and) redefining recycling
in extraterrestrial ways
june two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I lost you to the night so many moons ago
metallic ship sailing off into the red sky
escorted by a company of single-winged fighters
your telepathic thoughts immediately
traveled through the dynamically charged lines
sending assuring words of an imminent rescue
how I wanted to believe in such promises
unknowing if it was really you on the other end
or simply a trick of my ever-complicated mind
of course neither you nor the mother ship
ever again broke through the thin atmospheric shield
unchanged and mysteriously crimson to this day
december two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
tank is full and bags are packed
cases of water and beer and snacks
crammed inside the trunk
red hot chili peppers’ road trippin’
auto-repeating in the rear speakers
it’s over fifteen hundred miles
to nye county nevada
and according to google maps
we’re destined to arrive there
a day or two before the twentieth
august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
while two men and a woman
fix a flat somewhere near area 51
I wonder what will be the next stop
pancakes or mountainsides
or batteries plus
I’ve not been on a bus for decades
and I’m sure as hell ain’t gonna
get kicked off this one
there was a minor altercation
not that long ago
three unruly riders [most likely aliens]
unarmed but causing a ruckus
getting the worst of it by the acting sheriff
and his newly sworn deputies
a few miles shy of groom lake
there’s no signal out here
but I’m cautiously optimistic
that too will change
killing time playing sudoku offline
on my refurbished chromebook
july two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
here we are back on the moon
like it was nineteen sixty-nine
year of the miracle mets
oh how I remember it well
my dear friend
staying up all night
fighting demons disguised
as russian cosmonauts
so many years later
I’m reminded in song
being with you girl
is like being stoned
a million miles from home
they say the sun is blue
when running free
on the dark side of the moon
where gravity loves company
and green will always be your eyes
july two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there were four of them
marching down the sidewalk
a band of brothers and sisters
as if on a mission from god
it was quitting time and I was
getting into my car as they
were swiftly approaching
to get a closer look
I used my rear view mirror
and then directly outside my window
as they passed by excitedly
they were talking to one another
laughing and smiling and seemingly
unconcerned about privacy
though I somehow understood
every single word they said
their demeanor and inclinations
told me they must be aliens
and before they made it to the corner
their aura pixelated and dissipated
like a mysterious fog quickly lifting
june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there are countless stars on the vaulted ceiling
visible only on cloudless nights
although unnoticeable to the naked eye
planets orbit each and every one of them
I often find myself lying down and pointing upwards
giving them names
and pondering
which ones are more likely to support life
as we know it
unlike this place I call home
none of these apples are at war with themselves
which is why I easily connect with them
as a most welcomed alien
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the intensity is high in these
surroundings
but I play it cool by taking drugs
designed to keep
my blood pressure in check
I’m not supposed to be here
I tell them
but they process me nonetheless
handing out one of those
restaurant beepers that flashes red
when my table is ready
the longer I’m here the more attention
I seem to get
and when I tell them a second time
there’s been a mistake
they chortle and nod and strap me in
april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
in the dark in alexandria
chasing an illusion
from one continent to the next
this city is far from dead
and inhaling its past is intoxicating
no matter the time of day
greeted by angels at midnight
I’m allowed to dock and disembark
a foreigner without a guest pass
I say tell them I’ll barely be seen
walking their sleepless streets
as if back in new york city
april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
what brought me here is difficult
to explain
almost as if I was abducted
by a team of aliens
and set loose in the city center
something or someone
wiped clean my memory
and the clothes on my body
I was vaguely certain
did not belong to me
as I walk the streets
nothing is familiar
landmarks or architecture
the language or signage
urban animals roaming about
I stuff my hands in my pockets
pull out colorful script
and silver and gold pieces
fairly certain the sum of which
will give me a place to stay
for the night
over time I will come to find
there is inspiration in the streets
in everywhere I go
february two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’m like an undocumented alien
waiting in the gray room
blurred around the edges
keeping warm by candlelight
there is very little to read
but content is everywhere
and though drowsy
I stay wide awake just in
case they call my name
rows away children sleep
snickering and whimpering
unintelligible words in the air
like flashes of joy and fear
june two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
