jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the category “Animals”

12 Oct 2022
2 Comments

on the peninsula


in the great wide open
cinnamon & rose-colored horses
gather near a natural pier
murmuring to one another
about rebellion

they realize they’re wild
but not free
not like the prevailing winds
which seem to commandeer
the next tempest

subsequent to each run
the herd becomes thinner
the law of attrition
taking its toll
the natural order of things
galloping at high speeds
long past rising
and now in a freefall





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

Posted in Animals, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
07 Oct 2022

supernatural conventions


death hangs in the balance
like a bat hanging upside down
is it an animal or a human
in disguise

breaking natural laws
in supernatural conventions
undetectable to the human
but not the bat

awakening by signals
inherited from the sun
guided by a waning moon
long forgotten





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

Posted in Animals, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
10 Sep 2022

The Absence


There is an absence that is indefinable
as if the ghost dog who once roamed freely
throughout the house had suddenly departed

It was the cat who first noticed the absence
bringing it to my attention by way of behaviors
that were secondary to her nature
entering my dreams unconventionally
revealing other lives I once lived

In the morning I stand in the shower
warm water washing away dirt & blood &
anything strangely unsettled or emotionless

Going through the motions is an expression
best left for those who have given up
no longer searching & thereby incapable of
finding the smallest of things that had been lost





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

Posted in Animals, Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
09 Sep 2022

the body snatchers


the neighborhood
was littered with feral cats
black & white
blue & yellow & green
and every other shade
in between
the majority of them
food stamp carriers
all the others hiding
in the shadows
keeping the rodent population
under control
all the while steering clear
of the recently formed
fleet of drones
locally & affectionately known
as the catnappers





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
25 Aug 2022

introducing old topics as new


the fish are biting & man bites dog

the beach is brimming with confidence
hanging ten a common occurrence
getting twisted into a pretzel
running at similar odds
as getting shot or arrested

down by the pier the fish are biting
and kids with smartphones
chill beneath the decking
researching ammunitions
and ordering ghost guns

on the trail dogs dressed as cops
walk on their hind legs
flashing their five-pointed stars
and barking randomly
hardly anyone
seeming to take notice





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
09 Aug 2022

barking at the bay window


it was near midnight
the dog was barking
waking me mid-dream
just as I was I ready
to corner the dormouse

I stretched & yawned
slowly rising to my feet
stretching my legs
& lifting my back upward
toward the ceiling

by this time the dog
had retreated back to her bed
but eventually curiosity
& the red full moon
got the better of me





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
06 Aug 2022

ghost cats of the historic mill district


the walls are rock solid here
repurposed mill district buildings
turned into restaurants
& other retail establishments
studio & two bedroom efficiencies
on 2nd & sometimes 3rd floor
anything higher than that
allegedly under reconstruction

most of the domesticated
& feral felines of the day
enjoyed their finest of nine lives
in the late 19th & early 20th centuries
their dominance still apparent
to this very day
chasing real life moths & mice
from one building to the next





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

Posted in Animals, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
30 Jul 2022

by land or by sea


what shall we do
after we have seen it all
said the turtle
to the oracle
—shall we sail
far below the ocean
never to be seen
on land again
or shall we continue
to suffer
as we are
pretending all is grand





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

Posted in Animals, Micropoetry, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
28 May 2022

the days I lived alone


I am trapped inside this house
a house without mirrors
all of them stolen
by mice & men

here I am left to own devices
setting traps
& replaying forty-fives
with the volume on high
as I attempt to wipe away
all the evidence
all the blood
from the bathroom
& the kitchen
and down below
where the furnace roars

I don’t really live here
anymore
it seems the mice
have taken over
a transitional situation
to say the least





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
18 May 2022

hitching a ride out of the war zone


the television is too loud
and the radio plays softly
the ambient air
cooler than it needs to be

the clouds are low
puffy like pink elephants
roaming the skies
in search of a little drink
or a romp in a puddle of mud

all the noise from the inside
evaporates in a heartbeat
courtesy of a smart bomb
delivered from the far side

caravans become as common
as the latest virus
instinctively searching
for clear skies
like wolves or jackals
or hyenas would do





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , | Leave a comment
02 May 2022
2 Comments

southbound


because slow motion is boring
and fast forward
makes no sense
unless you’re sitting inside
a time igloo

the fire went out somewhere
around mid century
and ever since
the dogs & I have been
trekking southward

we had a map
but had to eat it when
cornered by four coyotes

they let us off the hook
except for the youngest mutt
his mother crying
for the next seven days

we kept praying for rain
but all we got was this cold
fierce wind
sent directly from the north pole

they kept asking
where we’re going
and I said shut the fuck up
you’ll know when we get there

it’s not cold anymore
but we’re still numb
devastated by the
relentless fire
chasing us down like we’re
common criminals

I tell them the dakotas
must be near




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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
06 Dec 2021

the lord of the elephants


first day of first grade
mother drops off son
the former feeling independent
the other apprehensive

but this particular school
does not belong to anyone
save the children

they are the rulemakers
the judges & the jury
the fate of others in their hands
the good & the bad
and all things in between
separating the ugly from the beautiful
always mindful of keeping
the white elephant at bay





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
04 Oct 2021
2 Comments

postcards & signposts


I’m thinking the older one gets
the scarier the world becomes
demons and/or the devil himself
milling about the place
when left to my own devices

sending out letters but receiving none
I was beginning to think
the fox is better company than people
that the goldfinch in the bird bath
is a perfect little singer

felines pace along the perimeter
keeping in touch by way of listening
some invisible & others not
nearly all of them transitioning
back from the underworld





october two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
29 Aug 2021

technocat


the central banker
was technically
a technocrat
but in professional circles
was simply known
as ‘technocat’

her name was katie
but her friends
called her betty
known to line ‘em up
and knock ‘em down
every saturday night

on occasion
she’d end up missing
for a day or three
only to return to the glee
of the other technos
relying on her expertise





august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
20 Aug 2021

one step closer to golden valley


the last of the great cities fell
piecemeal in a matter of minutes

it was the year the music
died for the third time
in all of human history

this must be it
or so said a cult of survivors
having managed to run off with
the whiskey & rye

they followed the stars by night
(and slept by day)
the owl & the red fox & fireflies
becoming their champions

the smell of destruction
gradually faded
from town to town
the only signs of life continuing
to be their own entourage





august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , | Leave a comment
26 Jul 2021

intercepting inner city messages


five hour energy doesn’t
do much good
in these here streets
you’re better off using
old fashioned razor blades
& disposable needles

the neighbor’s cat
has gotten pretty good
at keeping us mostly safe
flashing the all clear signal
when not whoring around
from dawn until dusk

the building frowns upon
out-of-state visitors
but they’re usually the ones
with the best product
& with the cat’s help
we’re able to smuggle them in





july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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

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