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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the category “History”

20 Jun 2017
4 Comments

stopping the impending doom


jet fighters crisscross the skies
like high flying bishops
licensed to fly

at control central pawns
surround the queen
fanning her with anything
they can get their hands on

at all four corners
white men wage war against
all other colors
wielding maces and knives
flashing suicide switches against
her majesty’s wishes

all the while horsemen
silently breathe into the fog
anxious for that chance
to live and die another day



june two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems, History and tagged , ,
27 Apr 2017
4 Comments

The hanging bridge


It was carnival season and the town
gradually transformed itself
becoming grotesque and queer
and emotionally exhausting

Determined to move forward
Billy and me walk hand in hand
he nursing along a quart of malt liquor
and me drawing on Virginia Slims

By the time we reached the bridge
they had just finished
reenacting a past less distant than
most locals care to admit

Uncertain how I could possibly hold
back the tears
I tell Billy what they did to my people
is unforgettable
unforgivable

Without saying a word
he squeezes my hand tighter
draws me nearer as the
Chickasawhay River shamelessly
snakes by directly below our feet



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in History, Poetry and tagged , ,
26 Feb 2017
10 Comments

the philosopher’s playground


the ground trembled beneath bare feet
like an audible sigh from a troubled mind

even the birds paused their morning song
shifting to interpret the mother’s warning

exhausted yet incapable of finding comfort
relaxation eludes the weariest travelers

though peace on earth may one day prevail
the natural order of things indicate otherwise



february two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in History, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
04 Dec 2016
4 Comments

keeping watch on cold nights


individual victories are few
for those unheard voices
having restricted choices
and few precious resources

you know I don’t have to be here
he reassured himself
keeping warm from layered clothing
mentally digging in for the night

mercenaries from the past
march alongside enemies of the state
chanting slogans in ancient languages
only few understand



december two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in History, Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
20 Oct 2016
1 Comment

a-riding on a pony come memorial day


in wellington heights they say
leaders come and leaders go
some saying martin luther king
was born generations before
or after his time

january leads to february
streets warming to better ideas
parents and cops weary of getting past
valentine’s day without any
gunfire or stabbings

weeks later rumor has it
jesus christ consults with malcolm little
and chris columbus
dispelling myths about the
course of human history and
organizing neighborhood watches

they talked about having a parade
come summer solstice
off-duty officers shadowing children
gathered at curbside
collecting wrapped candy
thrown by yankee doodle himself



october two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in History, Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
20 Sep 2016
8 Comments

will you die for him


children playing out back
unrestricted by all the fences
digging foxholes and
sowing the lord’s seeds

dinnertime bells only delay
the inevitable
and just as their bellies
will never be full
most will find it nearly impossible
to ever grow old



september two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in History, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , ,
19 Sep 2016
4 Comments

six thousand years and counting


as it turned out he was alive and well
resurfacing somewhere in carolina
taking up sun and counting the years

he made sure the money didn’t follow
redeployed somewhere offshore
far away from oil rigs and earthquakes

after wearing the crown all these years
incognito pro tem seemed fitting

walking the dog and swiping debit card
who the hell would have guessed

all the while cities continued to grow
melting pots boiling impatiently
fueled by remotely controlled triggers



september two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in History, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
27 Aug 2016
7 Comments

Gone but not forgotten


I saw the light of the faintest star
settle inside your eyes
blinking to life possibilities from
little known places

when the faintest light cast
indelible marks on the surface
somewhat more meaningful
and magical images evolved
expanding from within

creation doesn’t stop when stars
set in the west
just as dreams never drown in light

and that little child of yours
separated from violent strikes
reaches for your love
ascending


august two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, History, Poetry and tagged , , ,
15 Aug 2016
3 Comments

Born and bred in Iowa


I am not Iowa
I do not speak their language
or pretend to understand their history
what I know of them
I learned on my own
thanks to online access
google searches
and wikipedia dot com

My ancestry is not of this land
I’ve traced it back to Ireland
and Scotland and Sweden
and Belgium

I am not Iowa
but I live on their land
their numbers decimated by smallpox
and reduced to five hundred
at the turn of the previous century

I find it fascinating in prehistoric times
the Iowa emigrated
to their new land from the Great Lakes

In the meantime a white race originated
in the great Rokitno swamp
forging a roadmap destined to draw
a crooked line to America
the once Beautiful


august two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in History, Poetry and tagged , , ,
25 Jul 2016
2 Comments

like cats with endless lives


human history isn’t about to change
course anytime soon

the underground is rising again
and the unrest is unstoppable

at least into the foreseeable

everywhere hearts are breaking
shred to pieces from so many angles
mother nature
bad politics
random and not so random acts of violence
organized crime
and disorganized war

vendettas never die
they just get tossed to the next
generation like a hot potato
and while sometimes they get buried deep
they can’t stay underground forever

all the while the sun keeps rising from the east
giving us second chances


july two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in History, Poetry and tagged , ,
19 Jul 2015
6 Comments

I read the news today


when the telephone rings
it is wise not to answer
for the best news is no news
in these godforsaken lands

I cringe at the injustices
bestowed upon the helpless
how the most brutal minds
can take away anything they like
at any given moment

they were not put on this earth
by the gods who protect me
the gods who taught me
tolerance and compassion
promising a better place
in another time and space

in the meantime the wars
and the mass murders
and merciless distrust between
neighbors prevail
history unable to help
but repeat itself



july two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in History, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , ,
08 Dec 2014

when too many are thrown on the street


and the police have sanctioned bullets
and the judges have their natural-born faults
and some of the locally elected are faithful
and some of them are corrupt
and the higher up you go
from city to county
from county to state
from state to region to super region
the higher you climb the greater the ratio
between the just and unjust
between good and evil
and there’s no telling who is winning
because this kind of winning is artificial
artificial like misguided dreams
and make-believe handguns


december two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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

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