reality is a bit overrated
what with its wars
and all the pretending
that goes along with it
various men sporting colors
not making much sense
in this day and age—
red & yellow & orange
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
an early evening
aircraft flying overhead
one after the other
—even the cat taking notice
letting out
a long sigh of relief
safe behind the sectional
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
The capital city is sinking
but there’s no place left to run
The entire world is on lockdown
though tickets to Mars
are selling for a dime a dozen
If digressing to an archipelago
is on your mind
I may have to ask you
exactly in which dimension
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
do you see it there
a foreigner in the night sky
a light never before seen
solid & unblinking
perhaps a child of mars or venus
or a runaway satellite
hungry for attention
& inching closer
with each lunar cycle
until one night suddenly
completely out of the picture
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
so I agreed to met with this person
who said they had no agenda
—up to twenty inquiries allowed
but I had another thing in mind
(having awakened in a bed
that was not my own)
such as presenting each question
in the form of a wrong answer
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is information
in the grapevine
palpitations in the bleeding hearts
tiny mirrors in the garden
playing tricks with the sun
attracting wings of all sizes
protecting the evolution
of a fragile ground game
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the heart quickens
& eyes sharpen
arms & legs working precisely
the mind machine-like
& built for lightspeed
racing through darkness
becoming forever new
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the recipe calls for two tablespoons
of distilled white vinegar
but if apple cider is all you got
then that will have to do
but be sure to reference the disclaimer
barely visible below
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
and when the sun becomes
barely visible in the west
and as the winds die down
and cirrus clouds turn deep blue
a cacophony of bird calls
usher in the indefinable dusk
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
where did you go
I thought we were talking
about albinos
or more specifically
the great white sperm whale
I was telling you
after nearly 200 pages
nothing much had breached the surface
and then all of a sudden
you were gone
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
a red mcintosh
kitchen knife & cutting board
a recipe for blood on the horizon
like the summer sun
bleeding into the sea
knowing nothing can be done
in stopping
the impending happening
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
children are born
with war in their DNA
their little bones recycled
from recent burial grounds
reconstructed by an invisible god
trying to get it right
but whatever lessons there might be
do not stick to anything
especially to a child’s DNA
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
every sunday I reboot the modem
kicking out the demons
mired inside my wired mind
the sun didn’t rise again
tired eyes blinking thru the haze
right hand still free of pain
march two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there I go again
off into the unknown
can’t you see me waving goodbye
way up high in the sky
my arms like supersonic wings
folded behind my shoulders
my legs tucked inside the fuselage
on my way to the moon
to spend a night or two
a brief interlude before moving on
march two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
sometimes they go crazy
for many good reasons
sometimes they rise & fall
faster than a new york minute
but sometimes they go country
none other than to prove
that by tweaking the attitude
just about anything
can be done
march two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there used to be a park there
look at it now
not a single tree stands
the 2.5 acres transitioned
into a living breathing pancake
leveled to the ground
by the stroke of a wand
turning past reality into a
futuristic burial ground
march two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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