jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the category “Nature”

another iowa winter


nobody knows what the weather
is like in iowa
just like they don’t know gigantic
potatoes only grow in idaho

in january it’s so damn cold here
the cows don’t move
so it’s easy to walk right up to them
and snap photograph after photograph

there are no metropolises in iowa
just little towns
with a post office and a tavern
where you can tie your horse to a post

in the winter the winds blow so cold
it leaves you shivering
until march when the sun penetrates
the earth and reality begins to blossom


copyright j matthew waters
december two thousand twelve
all rights reserved

the natural rink


the lighted pond
attracted the townsfolk
on christmas eve
all eager to trade their boots for blades
and chase their shadows
across the ice
their arms and legs seemingly moving
in different directions
as feet shuffle and glide
race and coast
their chatter audible and visible
in the bright brisk air
with an occasional rump
every so often
testing the thickness
of the natural rink


december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

the escort


you entered my life
in a most unexpected way
leaving me to dwell
on all things
naturally good
giving me a sliver of hope
for achieving peace
within
before i am escorted
out the door

december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

outside my window


peering out my window
clouds gather around
and darken
a once promising
bright day

blackbirds circle above
slowly descending
and squawking
instinctively finding
shelter

thunder murmurs and moans
and i close my eyes
suppressing
a distant memory
knocking

once the showers arrive
i gaze past the pane
your image
refreshing like the rain
falling



december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

tomorrow


i sit in the garden of good
and evil
and wonder if i’ve witnessed
enough

the quiet and beauty
of the garden
stands in dark contrast
to the cruel corners
of a violent
planet

i sometimes wonder
how the sunrise
will hit the acropolis
a thousand years from now
wonder in what way
i’ll be able to archive it
and recall it
again and again

(i’ve witnessed the birth
and near drowning death
of a child
only to be brought back to life
by a breath
i never knew existed)

as i sit in the garden
i understand there is more
to accomplish
on the other side of the hill
understand there will always be more
on the other side
where the fish jump
and the mountains climb
where promises sometimes
fall short
and recklessness
is always welcome

just like sound is neither
past nor present
there is no more tomorrow
there is only the garden



december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

relative occurrence


one hundred twenty times
a minute the baby’s heart
masters frequency

perfectly in sync with nature
and forever dependent
upon the course of time

please stay with me awhile
and watch me learn to love
the power of frequency



december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

embryo


I entered the world
like a flower blooming
an experience blocked
from a memory dying
to understand
how the subliminal past
led me to this time
where I beget the pistil
and the petal


november two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Number One


Wherever the king
may range and roam
he forever remains
at the center
of the universe

Accepting of his role
with relentless pride
he’s fully aware
of his position
in the food chain

Strolling the perimeter
of their sacred land
he revels at the sight
of his pretty women
fixing his next meal


november two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

standing watch


the children stitched me together
with love and enthusiasm
dreamed up of ways
of making me beautiful
despite my mean intentions

with imagination my rigid body
became larger than life
filled with natural fibers
grown from the ground
surrounding their home

though i was unable to stroll
along fields of grain
that seemed to never end
I alone stood watch
and marveled at the way
they forever loved me


november two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

devotion


she works with fierce loyalty
gathering meals from fields
carried on her hind legs and
fed to the developing brood

inside the critical chamber
she sprinkles water in the air
fluttering her wings to regulate
a perfect temperature

having neither time nor energy
to consider her own demise
she again leaves the hive
to ensure her queen’s legacy


november two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

first blanket


the ancient ocean gave birth
to fertile earth admired from afar
worked by hands never seen

from its soil a new creation evolved
assisted by elements capable
of producing wind and fire

seedlings awakened and stretched
and instinctively sought to reach
the warmth of the outer dome

brown and green gradually gathered
throughout the valley
weaving itself into a blanket
of outlandish color





november two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

When November Comes


It doesn’t matter what day it is
and no one seems to care
which way the wind blows.
The only thing that seems to matter
is November will arrive without fanfare,
and now everything can get on with dying.

The day might be bright but it will be short;
city parks will be littered with leaves
that never completely dry.
Street walkers and their dogs
will be hard to recognize
once November has taken hold.

Towering trees become dancing skeletons
reaching out for a partner in the sky.
Peering through their branches
at just the right time,
Venus or the Moon or the Sun
can be spotted, pretending
to be ornaments dangling.



When November Comes


october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

the apprentice


i snuck into the world
through a backdoor
you carved into a rolling hill
where you worked the earth
with your creative hands

with perfection in mind
you made my eyes
the lightest shade of blue
and my skin varied
depending upon the light

your blood flowed within
nourishing my heart
and strengthening my mind
as i learned how the earth
recycles all living things

through time and patience
i came to understand
how the secrets of the clay
could beautify and nourish
a world starving for love



october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

a world goes round


gravitational forces
make the world go round
geometrically perfect
and mathematically sound
innocently conceived
of violent explosions

woe are the children
born into a whirlwind
of poverty and starvation
whose land neither spins
nor revolves with beauty
or compassion or truth

sad is the soldier
dying in a battlefield
dark clouds circling above
the beauty of the world
just a passing idea
taught in a classroom

man and his machines
compete for dominance
racing across the skies
and testing mother nature
with all the tangible wealth
this blue jewel can muster



august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

field of dreams


aggression builds from the stress
of surviving day by day
protecting what space is mine
and jousting with antennae helmeted
ne’er-do-wells who want to steal my girl

numb to the idea my days are numbered
i chirp lullabies out in the open field
promising hundreds of offspring
a seat by the fire before the first frost


july two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

systemic in nature


four blue spruces
form a boundary
along the south side
at the base of the hill
a splendid reminder
of all that is good

by the start of summer
their needles turn brown
prematuring dying
and likely affected
by the great imitator
lurking in the wood



may two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Post Navigation