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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the category “Poetry”

the machine


he consumed destruction
like it was sweet nectar
went on fifty year binges waging war
like there was no tomorrow
getting high on chaos
before receding into isolation
recuperating and retooling
just to do it all over again

if only his creator had programmed
his instincts differently
reigning in his selfish ways
of wasting resources
and repeatedly recessing
he could have produced
timeless masterpieces
that inspired a lasting peace


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

all things new again


autumn arrives right on time
a reminder that none of us
can forever enjoy
the endless days of light

early in the morning
when the sky is untouched
by a belated sun
you are awakened by little leaves
knocked around by tortuous winds
forming strength as a collective
and striking window panes
as if they were sheets of rain

nothing can escape the transition
into this slow death
where you are bound
to experience the creepiness
entering your soul
leaving you hungry and cold
and wishing for all things new again


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

sunset


faces of friend and foe
come and go
but i must live on
using my own eyes
to scan the universe
and examine my soul

i hear of things
both good and bad
from those i think i know
but i am not to judge
what is not mine
for i must deal
with eternity
on my own terms

i imagine what happens
in three dimensions
will take on new meaning
once riding my pale horse
off into the sunset


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

catch and release


standing in the cloudless water
filled with rocks and sediment
and good vibrations
i cast my line
at a buffeted white boulder
shadowing a four foot pool

i pull and pause the jig with imprecise
rhythm along the creek bed
darting to the left
and to the right
jerking and sliding at my command
like a puppeteer playing the part

i bring home the jig and recast
at the same target as before
one eye focused
on the motion
the other at the rainbow trout
dormant and disinterested

over time my mind wanders
as the jig continues the routine
teasing its nemesis
with its tastiness
destined to vanish into the dark
and revive me from my trance


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

lost in translation


simplicity evades the thinking
of human governance
as man-made disasters
leaves every nation’s people
weeping
and calling
for answers to coexistence

halfway across the planet
voices can be heard
carried across tradewinds
as ancient as the book
protesting
and pleading
to be heard and understood


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

your poem


I burned your image
in my mind
like charcoal lead
on cottony white paper

I painted your eyes
on canvas
like I had known them
my entire life

I drew your heart
closer to mine
beating rhythmically
as if we were one


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

December Sun


Bottle the warmth
of late August
sunshine,
stow it where
no one
will guess.

When the sub-zero
midwestern storm
attacks,
uncap the sample–
stay warm
until the thaw.


click here for youtube video


j matthew waters
copyright nineteen ninety-three
all rights reserved

rocket man


there’s something about the color red
that makes everything go so fast
as fast as jack rabbits
launched into space
using supersonic wrist rockets

red rockets launch into orbit
from the back yard
blasted by homemade boosters
consigned to corral space junk
circling the planet
for what seems like a millennium

old-time rocket man rocks
on the front porch
cloaked in his red suit
and plucking his guitar
reminiscing outlandishly
about space cowboys


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

a promise enlisted


i gave you my promise
and you ran with it
all the way across the country
where you boarded a ship
destination i don’t know

you tried saving the planet
with my promise
attached to you at all times
like it was part of the dog tags
hanging from your neck

by the time they shipped you
back to the states
the promise had expired
lost to the heavens
awaiting for me there


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

postcard


The oranges here are amazing as are the
tomatoes and apples. I didn’t come here
for the fruit but damn it’s all so good.
You may never see me again! JW

Postcard Poem Guidelines


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

boxed in


this claustrophobic feeling
assails me like a shrinking
windowless room needing
a new paint job as the four
padded sides diminish my
ability to control my sanity
or concentrate coherently


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

little bird


little bird with little love
sits atop a lemon tree
hopes to turn into a dove
and live his life with ease

little bird with little friends
feeds upon a giving heart
longs to soar and pretend
his tweets are like a lark

little bird with little dreams
slowly heals his broken wing
soon to feast on tangerines
ripening across the spring


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

spontaneous combustion


his eyes squinted
at the cherry red end
as he drew smoke
to his lungs
sitting in the dark
in the old cloth chair

crushing the butt
into the tray
a hot piece flies off
and lands in the cushion
his weighty eyes closing
from sheer exhaustion



august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

crop circle


papa made it clear
he wanted his bones
buried out in the field
using the same
crop circle pattern
the aliens created
back in the summer
of nineteen ninety-two




august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

children of the light


we danced in the rain
beneath the streetlamp
our minds drifting
past the invisible moon
into carelessness

we lived in a place
without birth or death
a visual paradise
where angels in the sky
longed to touch down

at night we chanted
for the moon and rain
to call the children
hiding beyond the light
to dance
and dance again


august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

voluntary rejuvenation


there’s nothing wrong with me
as i hit the snooze button
for the third time
stare at the cobweb on the ceiling fan
wondering where the spider is.

outside i hear mickey’s silverado
start up and head down the street.
it must be seven-thirty-five.

a few hours later i get out of bed
walk over to the window
and draw the shade
another half inch.

i spend the next ten minutes
sitting on the shitter.
i check my email on my android
and play a few pinball games.

“hey boss this is johnson,” i say,
talking into my boss’s android.
“listen, something’s come up,
i won’t be in today…or tomorrow….
actually i won’t be back until thursday.

“there’s nothing wrong with me
so don’t call back
and i’ll see you on thursday.”

i finish my business in the bathroom
and make my way back to bed,
excited about the idea
of doing nothing
for three more days.




author’s note:
this poem is in response to charles bukowski’s oral dissertation on depression


august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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