they arrive out of nowhere
the unannounced
the romantics or the beat poets
not knowing they’re dead
reciting old verses
as you sit in near silence
the bird songs
filter in through the screens
providing background noise
irregular yet repetitive
like the marcher’s drum
ever closer to peace
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is strength in numbers
and now I find myself alone
the mighty empire having fallen
giving rise to newborn stars
cast away by a foreign power
I’ve become a messenger
returning to the very beginning
bringing with me the good news
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
within your water
within your very air
the god gene embedded
deep in your DNA
there is good reason
why you feel so comfortable
inside your own skin
—on occasion
an even greater feeling
experiencing
separation
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
thousands of flights
and millions of passengers
crisscrossing through the skies
I’m at rest atop a tropical tree
encased in low lying clouds
counting blue planes passing by
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
lost in the chase
that damn rat race
or whatever it is you want
to call it
going about things
wearing a dumb smirk
or a wry smile
not giving a damn about
how big is the ocean
you always believed
it’s best to live & die
near water
a little smarter
millimeters along the way
separating the noise
from the substance
often disguised as killer waves
or slow-motion currents
june two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
flower within flower
reaching skyward
filament supporting stamen
supporting nourishment
the whole world invited to partake
enjoying their fair share
void of intimidation
a kind of harmony that shouldn’t ever
be taken for granted
june two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
what does it mean
when the moon is dressed in red
is she in pain or sorrow
or a reason for celebration
do you remember
when she once ran away
a boy & his dog giving chase
— how she disguised her visage
void of any color
as if hiding from herself
stars like wallflowers
wander without much thought
the lady in the mirror
appearing now & then
revealing just enough skin
enticing curiosity
june two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is much left to say
but I find myself muted
somewhere in the woods
I didn’t ask to be here
rather I was called
a voice I thought I knew
eloquent & enticing
reminding me of my youth
or a prior life
having arrived at the region
I was meant to reach
I sit on a metal bench
and wait for the sky to change
the voice has left me
replaced by the stream
the spirit of the sky
descending upon the earth
in the form of parachuters
though not quite rested
I am back on my feet
rewiring the frequencies
in full search of the fallen
june two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
most care little
about running out of space
there’ll always be a patch
to plant pumpkins they say
always a spot in the wilderness
to build a log cabin
the bigger problem
most everyone seems to agree
is about running of time
at least living on this planet
with its natural resources
dwindling by the minute
may two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
something touched my shoulder
perhaps I had been dozing off
in & out of a dream
my eyes flickered
but it was too dark to see
instead heard metallic wind chimes
as if they had just been rewound
whoever was responsible
[for the touching and/or rewinding]
did not show themselves
in fact I started to believe they had minimized themselves
having fled into the woods behind the garden
it was cold out but plenty bright
and when I opened the blinds
the light was blinding
and for a brief moment I thought I saw them
I should have known not to open the blinds
at least not without an approving birdcall
something that had been missing
since before my self-induced slumber
I’m stuck
where I’ve been stuck
for what seems like a fortnight now
this rectangular room seemingly self-sustaining
three sides made of glass
the other w/a singular door
slightly ajar
floral & fauna
completely silent
looking in from the outside
may two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
one thousand miles behind the sun
darkness closes in
ultraviolet rays
fading in the rearview
a temporary illusion
like the fox giving chase
aided by once elusive tailwinds
though the light is faint
love is in constant motion
one thousand miles behind the sun
the rabbit is not afraid of the fox
its purpose ever changing
the pursuer off in a new direction
one thousand miles behind the sun
april two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
when I was born I had no idea
the world population
totaled north of three billion
every single one of them
came NOT from the stork
but from the stars
that’s what they mean
when they say a star is born
today the world population
is approaching eight billion
affirming the fact that indeed
the universe is expanding
I’ve since learned star factories
exist throughout the multiverse
[or maybe I’ve known all along]
& I imagine
I’ll be returning back to one of them
on any given monday
april two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it is not unbelievable
what you see before your eyes
on the one hand
there will always be abominations
and on the other
unfathomable beauty
where you walk
is what casts your lot
and while some may never see
the goodness of a collective
or the miracles of nature
or the grace of angels
most will find themselves incapable
of inflicting change
where it is needed the most
april two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
man’s inventions
handed down by the gods
original sin having nothing to do
with mother nature
as a child seems to make sense
but when facing danger
is meaningless
I submit to the reality of the day
the eventual decline of
natural resources
exploited & consumed voraciously
in order to selfishly live out
your remaining days
inside a brand new world
march two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I repeat myself
at the risk of sounding old
like the toy dinosaur
stuffed inside the davenport
left there as a surprise
by the mischievous one
the one who tells me
this one is a carnivore
that one an herbivore
in the grander scale of things
they’ve not been gone
that long
some coming back to life
in living rooms
backyards & museums
the silver screen
some discovered on
castaway islands
I repeat myself
at the risk of sounding old
— what did you say
we couldn’t hear you —
they plead to be told a story
the one when you were a little girl
and the earth herself
was the size
of a silver blue jewel
march two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the lost
& the forgotten
blinded by the wind
never to return again
repeating the pilgrimage
in the back of my mind
the night
turns into silence
the scattering clouds
revealing new satellites
blinking like a rising star
signaling the next move
march two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 