jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the category “Animals”

15 Apr 2023

caught in the rain


in the back of my mind
it is pouring down rain
awakening me from my slumber
early sunday morning

I imagine the cat is clawing
at the front door
her spatial memory convinced
this is how it magically opens

in the back of my mind
there is thunder & lightning
electrifying my hippocampus
and bringing me to my feet

the cat is at the front door
incapable of comprehending
the shiny button next to the handle
is the key to the next life





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
07 Apr 2023
2 Comments

chicken & egg


foot tapping
one two three four five
meditating
for good measure
incubating ideas
germinated long ago

the big cheese
stolen in broad daylight
a pack of blind mice
drawing straws
contemplating
mass murdering

the hash pipe
always out of sight
in a shoe
an ashtray
the junkiest of drawers
in the kitchen

getting closer
warmer then colder
back & forth
tile or carpet or wood
the hatching
a surprise ending





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

Posted in Animals, Birds, Poetry and tagged , , ,
15 Mar 2023
4 Comments

as birds lay dreaming


it’s three in the morning
having awakened after maybe
three hours rest

walking slowly down the steps
the blue moon filters
into the house from various angles

I command the corner lamp
to power on to level one
wondering what my dear mother would do

I imagine she went for the cabinet
squatting like a catcher
calling her next pitch

the shelf above the refrigerator
is where the spirits live
I blame them for awakening me

settling in on the bay window chair
I reminisce of the thousands of dreams
of flying & talking & singing like a bird

having faced countless perils
perhaps I’d not survived an horrific dive
or was shot out of the clear blue sky

how many times can you possibly die
in a bed of make-believe roses
how many species of birds can you be





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

Posted in Animals, Birds, Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , ,
12 Mar 2023
2 Comments

the safe house


it was a case
of mistaken identity
they claimed
having kicked in the door
and taking away
the fat cat

I remember crying
afterwards
for two or three days
afraid next time
it would be me
they were coming for





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

Posted in Animals, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , ,
05 Mar 2023

the fox & the cowboy


the fox admitted
he wanted to be a cowboy
complete with boots
denim jeans & chaps
embroidered shirt
& stetson hat

when asked
why he had a fascination
with cowboys
the fox alluded to
an intense desire
to live the romantic life





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
27 Feb 2023
2 Comments

euthanasia


aiming his colt forty-five
directly down her neck
[perpendicular to the front of the skull]
the cowboy shot his horse dead
the muscles throughout his body
contracting just like hers
lasting less than 30 seconds
—as if choreographed
the two of them collapsed to the dirt
she as silent as the night
he sobbing uncontrollably
nothing but a shadow of his former self





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

Posted in Animals, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , ,
19 Feb 2023
2 Comments

the neighbor one house down & across the street


we don’t know what happened
to the son & daughter-in-law
[or their child]
they could be anywhere by now

we’re not sure
about the girlfriend either
for all we know she could be dead

we’ve contacted animal control
numerous times
but it’s become one of those things
—short-term improvements
but a receding memory

somehow the cats in the neighborhood
managed to restore order
[all on their own]
the whereabouts of the main character
suddenly in question





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
10 Feb 2023

play dinosaur


a child is unwrapping
her birthday gift
in the center
of a makeshift stadium
the audience of strangers
in the tens of thousands
cheering her on
throwing visual objects
on the neatly cut grass
surrounding her
music blaring as shes roars
raising the stuffed T-Rex
high above her head





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

Posted in Animals, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
21 Jan 2023

painted elephant


throw paint at the wall
to get a clearer picture
of what’s in the room
—having dried overnight
return & peel back the colors

the painted elephant
is like a shameless chameleon
a reminder you might not
arrive at any conclusions
the first time around





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

Posted in Animals, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
15 Jan 2023
2 Comments

convergence at the river


did you see that spark
in the sky
spooking thousands of blackbirds
and sending them
to the stars

the earth shook
from the footfalls of five hundred
elephants
rushing away from the scene
of the crime
in absolute terror

the nuclear winter
was unmistakably inevitable
all the armies of the world
laying down their arms
praying the world
as we know it
will recover from its losses





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

Posted in Animals, Birds, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , ,
02 Jan 2023
2 Comments

the fading protagonist


I am the last of a dying breed
how many times have you heard such a thing
my irish-backed whiteness
and lack of an accent [due to my
american upbringing]
couldn’t make me any more
plain-janier

inkless & pierceless & without
nary a conviction
I look & sound exactly as expected
 —predictably beaten

            I say do not interview me
I’ve nothing interesting to add to the
conversation

I like to talk about all the times
I’ve almost died
but nobody wants to hear those
cat stories anymore
if only they had changed over the years
embellished & unbelievably heroic
perhaps they could have
transitioned into lives of their own

instead I’m the interviewer
& the interviewee
a super long list of imperious questions
going unanswered
hour after hour after hour





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
26 Dec 2022

emergency run


it’s christmastime & we’ve no tequila in the cupboard
this pointed out to me by someone who doesn’t live here

how can we play stop lights without tequila
what could possibly take its place
—red   —yellow   —green

the travelers & gatherers & unannounced guests
have since moved on their merry way
now that the blizzard has passed

what shall keep us warm tonight without the power
without the fire
or the stories or the liquor
what could possibly make us survive another night

I’ve always wanted snowskies & snowshoes
just in case we need to make an emergency run
helping others along the way
stranded & without a prayer to make it to safety

that is
until I arrive like a miracle out of the ice
like a saint bernard with a backpack full of spirits





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
11 Dec 2022
6 Comments

Winnie the Pooh


I was pretending
to live in the hundred acre wood
where I met many a friend
from my childhood

it was sunny and it was nice
even in the middle of winter
and not one of us complained
except for you know who

there were oh so many stories
to tell and retell
and pots & pots of honey

we shared everything
photographs & memories
new ideas & fantasies
an occasional deep seated fear

the best part though
had something to do
with these neverendings
where the stories go on
and on and on
just like the stalk
we never stop climbing





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
02 Dec 2022

lone wolf


it was a day to be creative
in a regimental kind of way
voluntary confinement
practicing silence in the mirror
solidarity to the self

it’s a craft needing feeding
desirous without comprehending
setting out for the night
following the scent of the wind
and a filtering moonlight





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

Posted in Animals, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
29 Nov 2022

chasing the ideal can be destructive


jesse james was a virgo
a creative in his own right
inputting & processing
like nobody’s business
until shot from behind

they say at the end
he had a black cat named
mercury
(it’s a virgo thing)
but that little nugget
never made it
to the mainstream media





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

Posted in Animals, History, Poetry and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
28 Nov 2022

first born


the page is off white
blank & unlined
like an expressionless face
eyes shut & chin slightly lifted
mind void of meaningful thought

tiger behind iron gate
wants to come out & play
unknowing she is but a kitten
sublimely aware this life
will not be the last

charcoal in hand
ideas spring forth
from a second story window
a greenish moon burning bright
like the intensity of eyes
spellbound & unforgiving





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

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

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