jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the category “Animals”

28 Apr 2024

wanted (dead or) alive


the neighbor put up a few signs
saying his boa constrictor
busted out of jail again

the sheriff deputized all the children
in a six block radius
saying do what it takes
to bring in the bastard
dead or alive

meanwhile
the neighbor was last spotted
in a fake mustache & beard
purchasing little white mice
at a nearby petco

these kinds of poems
never end well
& this one
doesn’t stand a chance in hell


april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
23 Feb 2024

magic number


it doesn’t matter what I think
it’s all about the rooster

I’ve always thought ten or twelve girls
is a few too many for one
or maybe even two

but then again it matters not
what I think

some say it has to do
with what you’re trying to accomplish

whether or not
you prefer eggs
or chicks
or cock fights

of course having many roosters
works when it works
of course that is until it doesn’t





february two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
13 Feb 2024

A cat sits on his pillow at the picture window


Looking outside for hours at a time
he doesn’t understand
what’s happening in Gaza
let alone the entire Canaan territories
he only sees the alien cat colony growing
centrally situated kitty corner from his gaze
seemingly expanding day by day
a band slowly working its way
north by northeast toward Lebanon





february two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
02 Feb 2024
2 Comments

Uncontrolled


Behind the big tent
The little boy
Continued to learn
How to command
The juvenile elephant
His truest friend
Since birth

All the while
The juvenile elephant
Felt sorry for the boy
Reciprocating
In her own way





february two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , ,
25 Jan 2024

January fog


It’s sixty-thirty
and the deer sauntering down the street
have gotten the dogs agitated
so much so that their anxiety
& their owners’ displeasure
can be heard from the outside

It is winter still
and the night is calm
the air thick from the rising temperatures
giving both the deer & the dogs
the confidence they need
to do as they please





january two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
22 Jan 2024
2 Comments

a small matter of life & death


little black spider
races across the oak floor
suddenly stops
for no apparent reason

is he out of breath
and simply needs to rest
or has he forgotten
his desired destination
now recalculating a new route

from where I sit I am
less than two steps
away from the little fellow
a single question
repeating in my mind
the obvious answer
lying in my compassion for life





january two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , ,
13 Jan 2024

Stone Soup


I’m in the kitchen
making stone soup
stirring the pot with a wooden ladle
that used to be a paddle

The doorbell rings
and I yell let yourself in
next thing I know there’s a white rabbit
handing me a couple of carrots
—I cut them into coins
& toss them into the pot

One by one my furry friends
drop by to donate to the soup
make themselves at home in the TV room
Nick at Nite replaying old Looney Tunes

white rabbit
yellow duck
brown bear
one wild & one domesticated dog
three kittens and two pussy cats
a mouse & marsupial & weasel
& all sorts of striped animals
salivating at the mouth
laughing at Tom & Jerry

When the supper bell rings
the TV turns dark
& the lights brighten
slurping sounds soon abounding
empty tummies quickly filling





january two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
08 Jan 2024
4 Comments

relocating the needle to the haystack


it’s magic
how the camel passes through
the eye of the needle
though there is not a single
witness

they said they remember
reading about it
going further to say
there isn’t any truth in it
that it was merely
hearsay

but I thought
we were talking about magic
the smallest one said
and if that is the case
I wholeheartedly
believe





january two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
25 Dec 2023

the monster in the bottle


I’m at a loss for a message
in a plastic coke bottle
afloat in the sea
cast w/no regard to whatever
bird or fish or mammal or
marine invertebrate
may happen to come eye to eye
w/the great artificial monster





december two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Birds, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
23 Dec 2023
1 Comment

the accident


the cat is creeping in the house
though I’ve no idea where he is

I’ve sequestered myself
in a room w/three glass walls
fully draped in snow-white blinds
—the fourth wall painted charcoal
the only door a two-way mirror

fog has somehow entered this place
seeping in through cracks & crevices
concealing the cat suspected
of sauntering by

I turn on the ceiling fans remotely
the fog quickly & soundlessly dissipating
the cat’s distressing meowing
a reminder of the ambulance’s siren
still ringing in my ear





december two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , ,
18 Dec 2023

a cryptic celebration


on winter break
abominable snowmen
(dressed as warlocks)
come down from the mountains
and participate
in the annual festivities

at this time of year
they’re feared not by the locals
especially the children
who marvel at their wizardry
—one by one pleading
to be next





december two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
03 Dec 2023
2 Comments

well below the surface


they started stocking the fishery
with rainbow trout a couple of years ago

in the dead of winter the surface is rock solid
inviting ice skaters & parasailers
and of course ice fishermen & women

all of the fish below the ice in near freezing waters
are native except for the rainbow trout

I suppose they survive by not getting caught





december two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Fishing, Poetry and tagged , , ,
29 Nov 2023
2 Comments

jump starting the time machine


you just sit there
trying to put your finger on it
the impossible
suddenly a possibility
—and you sit there
willing this something into existence
something you can’t quite
put your finger on

small spaces
become gaping holes
[you’ve visited time & again]
just like in the movies
or a thriller novella

and so you just sit there
acting out your parts in real time
as if nothing
had ever changed
every solitary detail fully intact
right down to the dog tags
on the siamese cats





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , ,
24 Nov 2023

arachnicity


think of the spider
industrious & unafraid
like a thief in the night
breaking & entering at will
leaving not a trace behind

that cobweb in the corner ceiling
now that’s a piece of art
snap it w/your iPhone
turn perfection into a tidy profit
courtesy of nonfungible token

of course the female
is the brains of the operation
birthing hundreds if not thousands
in one fell swoop
her counterpart [on the other hand]
a bit of a dufus
racing across a wooden floor
or swinging from the chandelier





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
12 Nov 2023

spiderling


lost inside your own skin
you decide it’s best
not to go out tonight
opting to keep company
with recluse spiders
and a bottle of red

everything is muted
including a full moon
wrapped inside a fog
calling all arachnids
to come out of the closet
and feast until content





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
09 Nov 2023

little haunted house


little mouse in little house
feeling quite at home
finding its way
through thick & thin
mainly by way of nose

blind woman living alone
senses little ghost
creeping from room to room
her sense of security
never in doubt
her sense of smell
stronger than ever

come morning
in the kitchen
as she sharpens all her knives
the little ghost mouse
comes to its senses
& lives to haunt another house





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment

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