jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the category “Dogma”

02 Mar 2023

the second coming


bartender in the confessional
sampling bloody mary mixes
handing them to patrons
through the slider

back in the day they’d be
on their knees
self-medicating philosophers
hitting the streets
dabbling in theology

if you only saw
how competitive things
have become
perhaps you’d consider
coming out of retirement
recruit yourself
a dozen or so disciples
and see where things go
from there





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

Posted in Dogma, In the City and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
21 Feb 2023
2 Comments

the end is near


the man on the street
carries a sign reading
the end is near
his hair past his shoulders
his beard twice as long
he is the living & breathing
symbol of the apocalypse
advertising what everyone knows
another mugging gone wrong
another massacre in a makeshift church
another death row inmate executed
by way of lethal injection
all examples actually disproving
what the canvassing prophet believes





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

Posted in Dogma, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , ,
28 Jan 2023

speaking on behalf of


there are always questions
and not enough prophets to push us
in slightly different directions
it’s the way it goes I suppose
a common phrase
complementing so many
circumstances

the only church downtown
morphed into a 24/7 shelter
hosting mic night
every sunday at noon
attracting seers of all sorts
propagating their doomsday
scenarios





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

Posted in Dogma, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
16 Oct 2022

intermediary


I was reading poetry featuring angels
in one form or another

for some reason
they don’t appear to be
as relevant as they used to
whether embedded in the spoken word
or manifested in the latest
and greatest artistry on canvas

spotting one on the street
can be tricky
their divine light & birdlike wings
most likely kept under wraps
whether trailing someone
at the grocery store
or sitting patiently at the local tavern
monitoring a lost soul crying in their beer





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

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
29 Sep 2022
1 Comment

angel as a songbird


I’m not going to rhyme
I swear I won’t
even though this poem
is about a songbird

there are seven of them
[actually]
inside the bush
swapping silly stories
thriving on higher vibes

a single gust of wind
sets them aflutter
alighting where required
to give aid & comfort





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

Posted in Birds, Dogma, Poetry and tagged , ,
07 Aug 2022

if we ever get out of here


wanting to go deep
past the beginning
the starting place
keeps changing

self-medicating
with various devices
unlikely approved
by the powers that be
haphazardly curing
that which ails me
one unforgivable sin
at a time

before the cock
crows (again)
I tell myself I’ve never
denied you
not in this life
nor the next





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

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
09 Jul 2022

no thanks to the nazarene


nobody told me what was going on
but I was playing along
sitting in the rear
visualizing all the stations
right there on the wall

the last time I’d been here
I got sick for a month
experimented with oranges
and tangerines
cucumbers & strawberries
anything that could possibly
alter my state of mind

chocolate ice cream
baileys & irish whiskey
usually provided the greatest relief

this time I’m not going in
just zeroing in on those coming out
acting as if they’ve been
saved again
for the umpteenth time





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

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
17 May 2022

only you can set me free


you follow me for reasons
I dare not explain
lord knows
my rise to fame
my transition to power
isn’t something I sought
rather given to me
from your invisible god

I can say anything I want
and you will be in awe
applauding my words
as if they’re your own
passing them along
to the masses
so that they may come
to appreciate the power
of personality





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

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
10 May 2022
2 Comments

at the end of the drought


the act of attrition
not quite the same thing
a personal sort of process
when left talking
to yourself

it’s been as many years
as there are
days in the week
since my last obituary
ghostwritten of course
and predated
elsewhere in the clouds

I like to hang out there
when I’m at my lowest
knowing it’s a mere matter of time
before I fall down like rain
hours upon end





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

Posted in Dogma, Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
13 Apr 2022
2 Comments

building an ark from scratch


it’s late evening
& I’ve not yet turned
a page

a sheet of paper
blank or lined

a young male servant
or messenger
delivering bad news
by way of wise men

               *

the dam is doomed to fail
or so the story goes
a flood of words deluging
on a sheet of ice
a great sea frozen
over time
is sure to thaw

sun falls further into the sea
the sea becoming
warmer
over generational time

               *

for no apparent reason
someone who has never set sail
begins building an ark from scratch





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

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , ,
29 Mar 2022

alone behind the sun


where do you start the story
a constant change
the river rises
& she falls
there is no beginning
but the ending is all but certain
a colossal possibility
like wings crafted by dædalus

you sit alone bewildered
wondering what’s
behind the eyes
of the sun
a story rich in ancestry
reworked & rewritten
ever unfolding & far reaching
like a flashmob of angels





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

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
21 Mar 2022

a time of great change


there’s not been much talk
of late about april or rain
or easter sunday

on the news they say
the drought is ongoing
children in the heartland
growing thirstier by the hour
children in the theater of war
running for their lives

nobody goes to church anymore
of course that is a lie
not as big as some others
but perfectly relevant as it relates
to the presently prevailing antichrist





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

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
20 Mar 2022
2 Comments

bittersweet


addicted to the unknown
& because we don’t know any better
we shame ourselves
by exposing our bodies & souls
up & down the avenue

on the shoreline
we casually collect seashells
& look at ourselves in the mirror
unlocking the mysteries
to the goddess of love

by eventide we turn away
throwing away the unconquerable
but keeping what matters most
the off-white angel wings
& footprints in the sand





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

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , ,
14 Jan 2022

By art itself


I’m not too concerned
if I don’t hear from you again
you see I have you locked
in this utopia
complete with a flower garden
apple tree & snake
white sands nearby & heavenly
clouds up above

You’re not the only one
to have it made there alive
the rest of us recirculating the works
filling stadiums with zealots
and unlocking
more & more mysteries
some by way of science
but more often than not by art





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

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
27 Dec 2021

a prophet is born


where did you come from little girl
and how long did you dwell in the darkness
before making a new appearance

your thoughts are not yet your own
they’re transitioning from a predecessor
you do not consciously know

how quickly you’ll learn to retool
building bridges & staircases to heaven
all in less than a lifetime

real change is of the essence
though you inhale & exhale effortlessly
knowing this time will be different





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

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
24 Dec 2021

and on the seventh day


I could have had religion
but I wasn’t born that way


imagining unable to give life
no longer a god
the ending materializing

but that’s not how the story goes
perhaps it’s all the simplicities
that makes it so complicated

children are raising their hands
to be taken into space
away from a place
that maybe makes sense
one out of every seven days





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

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

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