I ain’t got much left
my body battery drained
& according to my wearable
I’ve only so many days
yet to live
it’s not exactly
information overload
I’m just searching the stars
trying to decode
my next resting place
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
— for David W Lodge
Dave’s hot dog stand
the only thing
standing
between progress
& a Five Star Hotel
selling only the finest grub
in downtown Tucson
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
late afternoon light
occasionally slipping in
between breezes
competing with floor lamps
an occasional flicker of artificiality
& other LED devices
to say it’s a gray day
isn’t really saying much
I mean isn’t it the light from within
that truly matters most
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
She can do anything at all
Have anything she pleases
—Chris Cornell
there’s all this talk
about simplicity & minimalism
reducing if not eliminating
mishaps & miscues
shedding thoughts of excess
and gaining intellectual insights
for no other reason
than to let the world know
that she can’t be changed
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’ve been told it’s okay
to talk to yourself
as long as you’re not replying
reminding me of Springsteen
singing about
not looking into
the eyes of the sun
because oh Mamacita
that’s where the fun is
april two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
an uninvited guest
how can there be such a thing
a girl of color no less
her face velvety & somewhere
between blue & violet
the color of radiance trapped
inside her eyes
as if she was born yesterday
april two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
in the kitchen I keep a jar filled with words
but for the past few days it’s been empty
and I can’t seem to do the math
to have it refilled again
though he’s not been seen for days
I’ve been told curiosity (the cat) is alive & well
hanging out on the west side
maybe he’s the reason things are off-kilter
and if only he’d return
the world would simply right itself
february two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
where has the queen gone
now that war has broken out
does she dare show her face
in person let alone the air waves
or will she remain in the shadows
laying low like a commoner
they say the opposing forces
are invisible like the wind
moving in & out of the kingdom
like a knight without a country
picking & choosing allegiances
one war-torn city at a time
february two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
A one two three
getting going again
stomping our feet
fingers snapping
embedded within claps
Delores’ bluesy voice
bringing it back home
february two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is this hope
that exists all on it’s own
and sometimes
we understand it
like there’s no tomorrow
and other times
it’s the most elusive thing
in the world
like a pearl in a locket
buried in the past
february two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’m on the fence again
like a crow at the county’s edge
contemplating his next move
winter lasts forever here
sunlight bouncing off the white carpet
and back into space
I’m not much for small talk
and the pace can’t get much slower
thoughts frozen in time
inside beside the burning fire
a notebook & sharpened pencils
whispering my name
january two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s broken
you can’t fix it
my vision cannot
correct itself on a dime
I’ve been hitchhiking
for what seems
like a century
every morning
finding myself in line
they say there is a god
that can fix your
temporary ailments
even though I say
tomorrow is already here
january two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the spirits in the apple orchard
gathered after dusk
one by one placing fallen apples
into their wicker baskets
it was a moonless night
and the children in the farmhouse
were looking out their bedroom window
mesmerized at the faintest of light
flickering amongst the trees
december two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
a foreigner with wings
surveying the land
the upper air icy cold
crystalized by the sun
they say the invader
is merely a wanderer
having arrived in peace
& perhaps to die here
december two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
a change of scenery
isn’t that what it’s all about
four or five seasons
rotating in & out of your life
commingling &
at times digressing
fast-forwarding supersonically
daydreaming & transcribing
without actually going
anywhere in particular
december two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
idling on tokyo avenue
waiting for the light to turn green
boston blaring from coaxial speakers
back in the summer of seventy-nine
it’s easy to misremember
exactly how everything
went down in the day
but the music
that’s another story entirely
always open to interpretation
december two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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