I’ve been told people
are really starting to listen
but I don’t buy it
not in a new york minute
in fact las vegas odds have it
those who actually practice the art
are ten times more likely
to be listening
to irrefutable gibberish
january two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s a new year
and half the world
is starting over
their collective wholes
waiting to rise above the ashes
once lines old & new
have been redrawn
january two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’m at a loss for a message
in a plastic coke bottle
afloat in the sea
cast w/no regard to whatever
bird or fish or mammal or
marine invertebrate
may happen to come eye to eye
w/the great artificial monster
december two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Feet of snow grows colder by the day
Rays of the sun reflecting brightly but
Powerless — like a King
Locked inside the winter palace
Impenetrable until the February thaw
Summer drought spoiled the harvest
A taste of regret left on the tongue
The King calling upon his God
To protect and provide
—What fortunes await come Spring
december two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there on the beach
all the colors of the world
can be found
—all you have to do
is close your eyes
and listen
it matters not
the time of day or year
sounds echoing
colors coming & going
forever staying
in the present
december two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it was yesterday
all over again
living & dying
like never before
as if anything else
ever mattered
should tomorrow
present itself
as a gift-wrapped box
[complete with a
ribbon & bow]
please do not open
december two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
sometimes if I stare long enough
at the blank screen
words will start to appear
all on their own
as if an alien scribe successfully
cracked the code
suddenly capable of sending
messages of peace & prosperity
right before my very eyes
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there was a guarded optimism
afloat but unseen in the air
like a vague sense of security
that’s inherited by nature
but unheard from for ages
perhaps dormant
aching to be stirred
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the night is young
ageless like a new moon
at the break of dawn
a trio of violinists
tuning their instruments
in a field of wheat
seven angels harmonizing
holding golden tapers
shimmering like the stars
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we had a wild & wonderful drive
crisscrossing west virginia
but in the end
it must have been just a dream
having found ourselves
back in boring kansas
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
they swept the homeless
off the streets
a project city officials called
operation relocation
days later
a dozen bulldozers
rolled into the landfill
& within hours
questions started flying
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is no test at the end
only a brief darkness
followed by a reality that cannot
be explained using words
uttered by mere mortals
as if witnessing the birth of a child
for the very first time
—only this time the child is you
october two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
how many times
had it been bombed & rebuilt
—what was so special
about this place
that even their ghosts
[time & again]
would rise to the occasion
refusing to be launched
like a rocket into the sky
well beyond the ether
october two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it is peaceful
inside the war room
mainly due to the lack
of any military personnel
in front of the south window
a betta swims
in a heated fish bowl
while on the outside sill
a juvenile raven peers in
october two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we were relaxing in the future
sitting on the edge of a pier
our legs dangling above the waves
motioning toward us
like clockwork
it reminded us of an ocean
but wondered
what the locals call it
curious whether or not
they name their bodies of water
soon the second sun would rise
october two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
you can see now
now that the veil has been lifted
and the clouds have cleared
trillions of stars in the night sky
coming into view
for the very first time
it’s then you tell yourself
how they’ve been there all along
yourself previously
buried deep underground
like a dormant seed
waiting to be awakened
october two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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