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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the category “Animals”

06 Aug 2018

finding your comfort zone


midnight arrives and a sudden
something wakes me from my slumber
a strike of lightning perhaps
a thunderclap inside my head

I can’t breathe here lying on this bed
lazily and precariously I remove
myself off the comforter
nearly in a trance I pretend I’m
sleepwalking down the steps

I’m far from alone on the main floor
sounds of human breathing
omnipresent and unmistakably eerie
incoherent words babbling barely

I distance myself from dark thoughts
and curl up against sunroom door
cool to the touch my warm body relaxes
moonlight waxing and shimmering
exposing my off-white stripes




august two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
16 May 2018
2 Comments

postcards from afar


we thought he had moved out
for good this time
leaving behind a few possessions
nobody dared to care about

some throw pillows
a trinket or two misplaced here or there
some perishables left in the pantry
and a few dirty dishes
on or around the dining room table

though he never did pay rent
we didn’t mind him hanging out
especially on quiet saturday mornings

what gets under my skin
how he never did leave a note
or better yet sent a postcard from
some faraway place
leaving me second guessing
what could I have done
to make him feel more welcome




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all right reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
27 Mar 2018
6 Comments

counting sheep


the rain is too much
preventing the last two doves from
locating the wayward ark
turkey vultures soaring undetected
circling high above singletary shepherds
determined and confident in their ability
to overcome the landscape
and account for every single lamb
entrusted to them by the good lord




march two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Dogma, Poetry and tagged ,
02 Feb 2018
6 Comments

I’ve never been to Pennsylvania


Groundhog lives in public library
or so I’ve been told from some
somewhat reliable source

He’s got a girlfriend or wife or whatever
a furry green-eyed special kind of lady
who loves to keep him company

It’s a most transparent kind of life
but at least it’s quiet in library
and I suppose there is much snoozing

How he lives a fairy tale kind of life
one where townsfolk and wayward travelers
pay heed to his annual prognostications

And everyone knows his name
so there’s no point in repeating it now
this sunny second day of February





february two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
09 Jan 2018
8 Comments

something is missing


the headlines are loud and clear
wars at home and abroad
national championship game
bull market stock run
millionaire lotto winners
cars swept away in mudslides
russian babies born in miami

they mean nothing when
stitched together haphazardly
presented in pretty picture frames
designed to throw us off course
like some juvenile giraffe
on a mission to make new friends
unable to see the wood for the trees





january two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
05 Jan 2018
5 Comments

On the Fourth of July


Hop skip and jump
all the way to bank & back
nickels in pockets
pennies in shoes

The ice is thin
but surprisingly strong
watching in amazement
elephants marching on

Many moons smile
only a few may frown
there is orange in the sky
nobody seems to forget

Listen here and listen now
silence and fireworks
commingling on purpose
resting up
for the unrest





january two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
04 Jan 2018
2 Comments

from the book of numerology


there is truth in numbers
and there is money too
the two go hand in hand
like youtube and click ads

so these cats we knew
decided to get off the grid
cash in their chips
bought one-way ticket to cape town
determined to find truth from
some mojo guru goddess

of course once there
they were told to draw a number
forced to blend in line with
other carbon dated records
all competing to uncover exact
combination to make it out alive





january two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
19 Dec 2017
5 Comments

honey hunting and trips to moon and back


they went honey hunting they did
christopher robin and pooh and piglet
and of course tigger too

they flew to the moon and back
their spacecraft refueling on the far side
rocking them back and forth in time
hurtling them toward the old blue jewel
more specifically the hundred acre wood

looking down from the heavens
you can see where they landed
a burst of light microwaving
and expanding through the trees
awakening all creatures
big and small and minuscule
awaiting for what must happen next





december two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , ,
14 Dec 2017
2 Comments

there goes another sad song


I don’t mind the old songs
but I want something fresh
no matter what its age

I’m flipping through forty-fives
searching for diamond or two
cute couple behind me
whispering comments about
mad magazine covers

without question new beautiful
sorrowful songs reside around here
refreshing like sparkling wine
the kind that turns your thoughts
into nothingness by way of
quiet reverberations

fast forward back home
small brown paper bag sits atop
kitchen counter
community cats returning home
chatting amongst themselves
what must be inside





december two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
12 Dec 2017
4 Comments

“and his hair was perfect”


there’s a werewolf
loose again in london
disguised as a dubliner
imbibing ales with
local ne’er-do-wells

strutting down abbey road
alongside chief inspector
chatting about the weather
and that bloody affair
going down last night

in big bold letters daily mail
warns of imposters
dressed quite smartly
wooing unsuspecting partners
who love to do the tango





december two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,
11 Dec 2017
4 Comments

december eleven


bone broth & diced chicken breast
chopped carrots & celery
garlic & black pepper
(not to mention)
a pint of winter ale or two

stovetop gives way to dining room
dark with registers closed
filtered light from streetside windows
accentuating cat’s repeated calls

pots & pans & single soup bowl
washed & stacked in strainer
strings & drums streaming midair
(not to mention)
feline sated temporarily





december two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
30 Nov 2017
7 Comments

rapid eye movement


you just don’t go out and become a cat
you have to wait for it
and wait and wait and wait

sometimes he never comes around
but if you wait long enough chances are
he’ll be knocking on your door
pleading for more treats
begging you to swap lives

other times nothing ever happens
and when you open the door
there is nothing but darkness
and undomesticated screams

eventually all the sounds subside
and you are lost in the zone
pretending to be in a deep sleep
two eyes blinking atop starlit dome
casually seducing your next precious life





november two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,

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