the hurt never goes away
it simply dissolves
into a vague or fleeting feeling
—one you can’t quite
put your finger on
like when trying to interpret
a painting on a wall
seemingly evolving
over the course of time
february two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I did not pass the test of time
and soon found myself
back at the drawing table
studying the subject
from a different point of view
one in which I’d become
someone unrecognizable
making me wonder
what would have become of me
if I had managed to pass the test
on the very first try
february two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
people say nothing changes
the greatest lie ever told
as if the milky way itself
is a permanent timestamp
and that the moon
that cunning chameleon
hadn’t always been there for you
but certainly not the time
you first heard that really cool song
riding shotgun
in the old man’s mercury
february two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
in this day and age
you don’t always see it
or sense it
or feel it in your bones
but it’s definitely around
especially when you least expect it
this thing called love
february two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I was burning in a dying village
my screams but a whisper within gale force winds
The seas were raging like wildfires
—the skies violent in color & sound & redolence
In all the chaos I had miraculously fallen fast asleep
Come daybreak I awoke to sheer silence
feeling as if I had been reborn
february two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
in the land of the giants
you’d think the little people
have nary a chance
yet there they are
sharpening their swords
and licking their chops
for just one chance
to take over the world
february two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there was a collective sigh of relief
once the crowds cleared
and the skies returned to normal
though the countryside was not
what it used to be
at least we’re still alive
[to tell the tale]
thanks to the latest alien
intervention
february two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
stepping back into the void
where all the answers
are laid out in plain sight
where a constant source
of divining light
beckons you to return to that
from which you came
but only when the time
is absolutely right
february two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
birds in flight
mechanical wings
and roaring sounds
leaving those grounded below
looking skyward & disbelieving
at their majestic maneuvering
their innate desire
to shock & awe
january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
time slips into a pool
of a nondescript stream
eddying unperceptively
to the untrained eye
how far below the surface
could the curious pool possibly go
there is one way to find out
and that way may be the only way
to never be seen again
january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Nobody thought it could be done
but by the time I was destined
to enter the fifth dimension
I found myself passing through
the eye of the needle
january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Wheatland to Big Rock to Dixon
and before you know it
I’m back in Scott County
—my old stomping grounds
Old Big Rock though
is one big mystery
no Post Office or cafe
or any business to speak of
one church & a few houses
situated here & there
but most importantly
not a single solitary boulder
to be spotted anywhere
january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Once we put snow tires
on the old beat-up Cadillac
she suddenly turned into a Leviathan
tearing through the elevated city
january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
vast fortunes
buried deep at sea
alien forces
performing clandestine
nonstop operations
night by night
planet earth
routinely becoming
a little less valuable
january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
no matter where you look
there’s a lot pressure
cast down from the heavens
to the planet earth
playing havoc with the weather
by all means imaginable
bursting bubbles
and causing flat tires
leaving those with unmet deadlines
pulling their hair out
wishing they had one last wish
january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
and both shall row
my love and I
~ anonymous
there is no bridge or ferry
and I have no wings
so I set to task & build
a boat that can carry two
to start a new life
far away on the other side
january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 