jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the category “In the City”

08 May 2019
6 Comments

there’s talk on the street


he was the new kid
everyone has at least one
in their lifetime

wide-eyed and outgoing
or mysteriously shy
people want to know more
like what circumstances
brought her here

maybe he’s not really a kid
but rather some unfamiliar idea
walking confidently down main street
sun stretching her shadow
further than anyone else

some say this town isn’t ready
for someone like him
stealing their thoughts and
rearranging them without
anyone noticing

oh yes she was the new kid
and everyone wanted to love her
like one of their very own





may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,
29 Apr 2019
3 Comments

150 foot foundations


they keep digging up bones
moving them from one
sanctioned place to the next
this time far from city lights

protesters are well-prepared
to be run over by earth movers
arm-in-arm and squatting
chanting what gives you the right

some say it’s sacrilegious
to be displaced for such reasons
as if full color panoramic views
far outweigh black & white





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged ,
17 Apr 2019
4 Comments

vacationing in Colorado


I’m not going there
she said
can you please change the channel
there must be more to life
than current events
sapping all your energy

we had just sat down
at a local dispensary
having ordered two craft beers
and a bowl of purple sensimilla
the remote control to the TV
directly overhead
within arms reach

what about the Rockies game
I suggested
do you consider pro baseball
current events

that all depends upon who
they’re playing
she answered
not to mention how quickly this weed
will make me not care about anything





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Baseball, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , ,
14 Apr 2019
4 Comments

living on the blind side of the city


the more populated we become
the more dangerous are the streets
all kinds of people packing heat
be they good or bad or indifferent

I don’t own a gun and I’m beginning
to wonder if that’s a good idea
thinking the older I get
the more vulnerable I’ve become

please don’t get me wrong
even though it’s a sad state of affairs
many positive things are happening
inside cities both large and small

but in the meantime here I am
living in the present moment
pretending the problem isn’t mine
as I go about my daily life





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , ,
13 Apr 2019
3 Comments

push and pull


living in the present
yes I get that who doesn’t
taking in the sights and sounds
as if you’re seeing the world
around you each and every day
for the very first time

but alas what challenges
the present creates
especially when piecing
together past and future events
defining and redefining
perceptions and realities
not to mention those ever elusive
dream interpretations

so here you are sitting
at an outdoor cafe
alone or perhaps with a
real or imagined friend
living in the moment as they say
never pulling back or pushing forward
somehow knowing every single word
to every single song streaming
out into the open air





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
03 Apr 2019

sudden darkness (reprise)


it’s been 16+ months since
he last set foot on earth
found dead in an alley
in the 500 block of 10th street

according to the medical examiner
cause of death was gunshot wound
what kind of gun though
she did not say
but it had to be one
that fits inside your glove

though discovered in the early
morning hours
chances are he never did
take a breath past midnight
the moon at the time waxing crescent
most likely witnessing
every single step
even with one eye closed

it matters not (or maybe it does)
why it’s taken this long
to find the killer
depending upon your point of view





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
02 Apr 2019
3 Comments

an american alien in egypt


in the dark in alexandria
chasing an illusion
from one continent to the next

this city is far from dead
and inhaling its past is intoxicating
no matter the time of day

greeted by angels at midnight
I’m allowed to dock and disembark
a foreigner without a guest pass

I say tell them I’ll barely be seen
walking their sleepless streets
as if back in new york city





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,
24 Feb 2019
4 Comments

stranger in this land


what brought me here is difficult
to explain
almost as if I was abducted
by a team of aliens
and set loose in the city center

something or someone
wiped clean my memory
and the clothes on my body
I was vaguely certain
did not belong to me

as I walk the streets
nothing is familiar
landmarks or architecture
the language or signage
urban animals roaming about

I stuff my hands in my pockets
pull out colorful script
and silver and gold pieces
fairly certain the sum of which
will give me a place to stay
for the night

over time I will come to find
there is inspiration in the streets
in everywhere I go





february two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,
13 Feb 2019
2 Comments

getting to know thyself


the faces are inspiring
whether real or appearing
in one-off dreams
faces in the crowd
popping up from one spot
to the next
by any means necessary
be it by foot or uber or bus
or train or aeroplane
exhibiting happiness or grief
pain or sorrow or glee
eyes and mouths wide open
or reluctantly shut
teeth clenched or relaxed
pale-faced or rosy-cheeked
hurried or stymied or grounded
it matters not

I swear I know
each and every one of them
much like how I know myself




february two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,
11 Feb 2019

lost in the crowd


it’s not even mid-february and already
the weeping on the streets
goes by unnoticed

it was just a couple of weeks ago
when the thaw was in full bloom
but that was short-lived
and now once again
the weeping on the streets has resurfaced
one hundred fold

what is to become of all this weeping
this unforgettable sorrowfulness
all too present yet seldom recognized

and what are we to do
standing unnoticed in the crowd
reaching out in furtive attempts
to make a difference




february two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
08 Feb 2019
4 Comments

breaking away once and for all


I wasn’t supposed to be driving
but I backed out and raced away
shifting gears as if it was yesterday

the radio blasting out old time rock
drowning out any unnecessary noise
attempting to get back inside my head

I’ve not been indoctrinated since
growing up in the sixties and seventies
yet another alleged victim
of the great american experience

fast forward and today is an altogether
beautifully different story
one restarting from a fresh perspective
where there’s nobody left to blame




february two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged ,
05 Feb 2019
2 Comments

when it rains


there is precipitation in the sky
improvising as falling ice
pinging partially-filled glasses
and producing magical notes
music piped into the city square
unexpected dancers sporting umbrellas
smiling under artificial light
twisting and twirling and portraying
life as a grand affair




february two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , ,
27 Jan 2019

strength in numbers


to be misunderstood
that is a common occurrence
among the masses
treading through the streets of life
unnoticed and mostly lost
but there is strength
beneath the prevailing current
an uprising brewing [so to speak]
on these forsaken streets
bound and determined
to return life to the dying
and a fresh voice to all those
willing to move forward




january two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
18 Jan 2019
6 Comments

the house of displaced poetry


it’s not easy finding inspiration
on low visibility nights
so you just move on from
one thought to the next
hoping to find a place to call home

without a charge nights are lonelier
inner city sky void of lights
artificial ones hard to see
thanks to cold wintry mix
forcing shelters to exceed capacity

I’ve lived through this odyssey before
pocket book of poetry
pressed against my heart
three or four layers deep
every single word still very much alive




january two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,
21 Dec 2018

chatting over mid-morning coffee


take special care
not to beat yourself up
just because of
misplaced memories

your word against the truth
may or may not exist
not in this world
or the next

subconscious realities
keep me on edge
like pressure cooker time bombs
ticking in city square

I’ve long felt most relaxed
back in the future
where love is in the air
and nights rarely end




december two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
20 Dec 2018

unexpected change


I got fifty bucks in my pocket
and I’m going downtown
gonna buy my girl some flowers
and maybe have a beer or two

taking city bus to city center
I keep my hands in my pockets
sitting down on three-seater bench
tapping foot in make-believe time

nobody owes me nothing
and I sure ain’t in anyone’s debt
I got fifty bucks in my pocket
sun shining brightly overhead




december two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →