jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the category “Animals”

14 Jun 2017
6 Comments

I was walking the dog under the catwalk


it was then I decided something
needed to change
after all I had whiskey and something
sour in that place I once took for granted

how dare I succumb to the status quo
after all I’ve been through

how could someone like me put up with
the mundane and the ordinary
when everyone else damn well knows
there are skies to touch
and happily-ever-afters to uncover

every time I walk your dog
I repeat out loud those poetic verses
found only inside
my suddenly missing manuscript



june two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged ,
23 May 2017
2 Comments

witness to the image


black cat saunters in and out of brambles
spreading freely along roller coaster road

I know I’ve seen those eyes before I do declare
electronic compass pointing due south
speedometer approaching twice the limit

next time I swear I’m going to slow down
and get myself a better look
because I know deep down
I’ve witnessed that instance before



may two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , ,
06 May 2017
9 Comments

The cosmonaut and the cat


I’m not going to space without my cat
I told them
and all of sudden they start this foolish
talk about bumping me

It’s a little too late for that don’t you think
I tell them
and a day later
they agreed the cat can go



may two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , ,
25 Apr 2017
2 Comments

dinner for four


the dogs were in the kitchen
sniffing the tile and looking away
whenever I glanced back
over my left shoulder

they knew better
but nonetheless tested the limits
of their sensory curiosity

opening the lid to the beef tips
I picked up the wooden spoon and
growled something incoherently

they immediately receded
to their respective corners
giving way to the grey tiger
crouching in the shadows



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , ,
12 Feb 2017
6 Comments

apache helicopter down


the helicopter crashed on the side
of a hill on a sheep farm

the sheepdog was the first to arrive
followed by the sheep themselves
and finally the shepherd

the dog sniffed all the way around
the main part of the mangled mess
marking it here and there for good measure

most of the sheep vied for position
for a look-see in the cockpit
but it was vacant

“they must have jumped out before
it crashed” the shepherd murmured
under his raspy breath

there they stood on the hill
the shepherd scratching his head
and the sheepdog licking his balls
the sheep themselves looking
down at the village where the
peaceful inhabitants once lived



february two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , ,
24 Jan 2017
2 Comments

feeding time in the stable


the horses are mind readers and can sense
your footfalls hitting concrete steps
from over fifty yards away

though they’ve been fed they’ll need
another meal somewhere down the line
in between new hired hand
hauling empty pails
up thirty-three steps seven times a day

the trails are sloppy from the january thaw
but the horses are quite content
staying put for the foreseeable future
and reminiscing about longer days
about a scoop of grain and two flakes of hay



january two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
19 Nov 2016
5 Comments

Little Bo Peep’s Awakening


She wore a cotton dress on a warm
and sunny day
slightly off-white and sleeveless
complementing and accentuating
her light brown skin

He wore his casual Sunday best
strolling along
white button-down oxford shirt
starkly contrasting pleated charcoal slacks
creased perfectly

Sitting on park bench imagining
her breathing slows
her inner thoughts pressing on
unaware of sights and sounds passing by
before her eyes

From out of the fold he reappears
like a lost lamb
wandering most aimlessly
a blot on the vastness of her dreamscape
off-black yet bright



november two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , , , ,
18 Oct 2016
8 Comments

what happens here may not stay here


inside your walk-in closet you keep
a wooden bowl atop your dresser
filled past the brim with little things
little tidbit kinds of things that have little
to no value like bottlecaps and matchbooks
rubber bracelets and key chains
a deck of the tiniest of cards you’re
quite sure has played solitaire

sometimes you imagine a little spider
lives inside the tidbit of things
milling about mostly in the dark
but occasionally coming out on afternoons
to unwind atop the deck of cards
basking in the filtered light
leaking through diamond-shaped openings
that really aren’t here nor there



october two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
01 Aug 2016
4 Comments

hey mister can I pet your dog


he is the one from down the street
the one everyone seems to be afraid of
the one without teeth
barking at bare legs and packages
and pissing on anything plastic

he doesn’t know where you’ve been
but if you open up your window for a second
he’ll figure it all out
and on the next go round he’ll zero right in
better than any old bloodhound


august two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
31 Jan 2016
15 Comments

lost and unfound


the cat chased the crescent moon
deep into the night
encountering near death experiences
along the way
living and dying by the hour
until inevitably unseen

with the scent of the cat
fresh in the dog’s
sensory perceptions
he searched for days on end
until finally losing track of
his long-lost friend

promising to return another day
the dog headed back home
guided by a bright satellite
looming over the city
stray cats springing from the shadows
and jumping over the moon




Oscar & Chester


january two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
20 Jul 2015
3 Comments

Quantum Mechanics 901


Her name was Resurrection
and she was caught by surprise
many a times
mainly resulting in her own demise

She often fancied herself a catfish
and loved to swim in a sea of names
dominated by tasty tuna
she just couldn’t get enough of

I once tried talking her down from the roof
but she would have nothing to do with it
and weeks would go by before
I would see her again

She often mentioned she would love
to meet Schrödinger in the afterlife
if nothing other than comparing notes
on the natural order of things



july two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
31 Jan 2015
8 Comments

never a dull moment


I saw that young grey squirrel
all winter long
chasing cars and
scaring dogs on leashes
jumping at them from out of nowhere
then zigzagging here then there
zipping out of sight laughing

I imagined he had stashes of nuts
all over the neighborhood
because he always looked
lean and mean
more energetic than any winter
squirrel I ever did see
scampering all over like it was spring

on days when the magic seemingly
runs dry I wish I could
reach into his bag of tricks
pull out a masterpiece that
makes you suddenly hit the brakes
sending your sedan swerving
over the curb and
slamming into your own snowman


january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , ,

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