inside my mind a tiny mouse
has found some cheese
nibbling but not offering
—he’ll be quiet for a while
perhaps falling into a stupor
and I will sit in silence
imagining what his eventual
next move will be
or if he’ll simply no longer exist
for obvious reasons
such as foxes or traps
or surgical strikes
—cast from the skies
january two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Let’s see
how shall we begin
to describe the fortunate son
It’s impossible they say
a trick question
the description itself but a
mystery
like who killed Marie Rogêt
In the end
there is no such thing
except for a brief moment in human
history
that maybe just maybe
he was the boy next door
voted mostly like to become
an unsolved serial killer
januarytwo thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it was cool at the microbrew
vinyls playing on turntable
jazz & blues & some rock & roll
streaming from the speakers
hanging from the ceiling
they take requests
or you can bring your own
tracks piped into the adjacent room
imbibers waltzing & grooving
to the likes of anyone’s guess
they say it’s the place to be
as long as the lights are low
—the barrels all aflow
hands & feet shuffling in & out
of the [corner] revolving door
january two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we’re back on the ground
having jumped out of
the little white aerocraft
at the break of dawn
at the same time
the sky was still falling
flaming rocks crashing
setting our very target on fire
we were unprepared
to reverse rappel
but that’s exactly what we did
outmaneuvering the fireballs
expertly escaping from hell
december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Look what you’ve left behind
my friend
your stuff scattered
in places you’ve never been
having gotten there either by accident
or intentionally delivered
by loved ones still standing
Last night in my dream
you were alive
and never better
rounding up the troops
and shouting out marching orders
your famous last words
it’s now or never my friends
december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
nobody knew there would
be a test today
not even the teacher
a bomb threat forced them
to vacate the premises
and they set off on foot
to the amphitheater
on the west side of the
tree-lined river
it was there they exposed
their souls
one by one for some
others two by two
and even three by three
queried intensely
of life & death
in the end left to choose
either truth or dare
creativity had no limits
in what became
a sacred undertaking
where birds of different colors
sought the safety of the trees
experiencing the discomfort
of the tragedy
and the relief of the comedy
of the spoken word
filling the open air
december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
At birth, I was cast into a flaming pit of scum forgotten by God.
— Mickey Knox
America the Beautiful
unaccepting of the past
such pride & prejudice
home to many haters
birthing mass murderers
one day at a time
Smoke & mirror history
gives way to a new reality
this twenty-first century
exposure & denial
run rampant on the streets
like Natural Born Killers
november two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there’s no sense in testing the water
it’s the same as it’s ever been
every wednesday morning at nine
the city tests the loudspeaker system
one day it’ll prove itself to be futile
or utile —it’s funny how only time will tell
lenny kravitz sings about getting away
I tap my foot & chime in right out loud
replacing his simple words with mine
as if I’m some sort of ad lib junkie
knowing I’ve not a say in the matter
nor interested in wishing it all away
november two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there’s nothing to see here
everybody move along
when authority figures
tell people to move along
chances are
there is plenty to see
the shooting took place
mid-morning
and by lunch time
two dwellings & three
vehicles were taped off
there was plenty of talk
but not much action
& those with pics or vids
on their person
most likely kept them
close to the vest
september two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is a strange frequency in the air
and the traffic is lighter than usual
[nearly nonexistent actually]
it’s as though the small & bright city
has become a ghost town
pick a year any year and you will
find how nothing has changed
how ghost towns have become
overtaken by nature in seventy-five
or one hundred years’ time
of all the cold wars taken place
this one is the most chilling
women & children sacrificed
by the hundreds of thousands
the men mysteriously evaporated
september two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’m going by memory
so my facts may be a little fuzzy
but it was the early eighties
and I was in line
at Hamburg Inn No. 2
Supposedly Jimmy Carter
was a few spots ahead of me
or so the young lady I was with pointed out
me promptly responding
with something like shut the fuck up
Like I say I’m going by memory here
but I’m pretty sure both Jimmy
and I ordered a double swiss &
a small fry
(I don’t remember what drinks
they offered
but if they had beer on tap
that was probably it)
There’s no way you could eat
inside the smallish & popular place
most of the booths & seats & stools
nearly always taken
a minority of which
by ghosts of politicians past
As we headed back downtown
—lunching while we walked—
I kept asking what’s her name
if she was absolutely sure
september two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
don’t call us they kept repeating
in my dream
actually they were singing it
don’t call us baby
we’ll call you
it was as if wolfman jack
had somehow gotten in
shadowing me like a wild thing
running at full speed
every chance I could get
only the corners could slow me down
inside this inner city jungle
hailstorms preceded
intensely global temperatures
leaving everyone soaked to the bone
wondering what kind of animal
they had become
september two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
do you see my face
how it’s changed over the years
behind these bars
my eyes are barely visible
nobody here knows my name
nobody’s available
to interpret my dreams
I talk to myself without speaking
a stark reminder how
it’s always been this way
back in the day I never slept
but now it seems that’s all I do
back in the night
I roamed the city streets
blasted by light
both inside & out
fully packed & constantly aware
I look for a place to be alone
so here I am doing time
alongside natural born killers
learning from the second best
& taking from all the rest
august two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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
the constant call to arms
loudspeakers in the city streets
projecting all the romance languages
young boys & girls tilt their heads
counting years on their fingers
virtual tactical gear painted on their skin
marching to the snare & the bugle
a caravan of tarp covered vehicles
transport wet-eared recruits
populating newly formed camps
outside the danger zone
soon the city will be empty
and children in their infinite wisdom
find what the world lacks is love
august two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the problem with the world today
we’re living in the past
like a smoker who can’t kick the habit
we’re unable to quit killing
whether sanctioned by allegedly legitimate
power brokers
or straight up civilian violence
when I was a kid we played
cowboys & indians
cops & robbers
doctor & nurse
role playing because we were left
to our devices
and our parents bought us weaponry
and any kind of idol we would ask for
on sundays we were reminded how evil
we truly were
and twice or maybe three times a year
we were forgiven all our sins
come monday however
we were right back at it
perpetuating the only thing that made sense
july two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 