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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the category “War Poems”

17 May 2025
4 Comments

peace on earth


you should consider
coming along
we’re gonna go high
high into the sky
without ever leaving
the ground

but first we’re gonna
cross an ocean
followed by a desert
perhaps resting at an oasis
to power down & recharge

soon thereafter
we’ll be climbing trees
and the tallest of mountains
knowing full well
each & every day
shall be our last

once on top
we’ll see for ourselves
so-called armed conflicts
no longer exist
in this little world of ours


may two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , ,
08 May 2025

born in the war zone


I was dying
in a burning village
—all the while
the seas were raging

the sky was violent
flashing colors from the
crimson spectrum
as if the apocalypse
was at hand

in the dream
I tossed & turned
possibly tumbling inside
the belly of a whale

the morning light
whispered into my ear
saying when I open my eyes
I will have become
a child again


may two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
07 May 2025

Impending


I hear thunder in the distance
it is coming my way

Will the accompanying lightning
strike me down at last

Shall I run or hunker down

As I wait for the storm to arrive
I experience flashbacks of good times & bad

For some reason I believe this time it is it for me

I listen to the drums as they approach
ever closer—they are war drums

I tell myself I am nothing—
an innocent bystander
guilty as charged

As I sit & wait I realize I remain
further & further from the truth
like a single lamb in the countryside


may two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
06 May 2025

peace of mind


armed conflict
is for the weak & narrow
a clear indication
a good night’s sleep
requires little more
than peace of mind


may two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
15 Mar 2025
2 Comments

nation building & minefields


in the valley
rare earth elements
remain untouched
—sacrificial lambs
like a flock of ghosts
roaming the countryside
shepherdless
& blindly
sidestepping
the next catastrophe


march two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , ,
04 Mar 2025
6 Comments

chasing butterflies


it’s easy to write about the rain
when it’s raining

but during wartime what’s the point

if only they were dropping cats
& dogs out of the sky
we could catch them & find them
good homes

there’s no point in talking about
climate change
or those eighty kilometer an hour winds
moving bits of brick & mortar
down what used to be
a bustling street no matter
what the season

out in the fields a child
should be catching butterflies
using a net or her very own hands
—not drops of rain in a tin cup






march two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , ,
11 Feb 2025

Folklore


Muscle memory
gets me from point A to point B
permitting the retelling
of the same stories
and every now & again
to a brand new audience

I once got lost
in the streets of Japan
unable to find my way back
home for a number of years

Those who knew me best
thought I’d either gained a new
identity or died somewhere
with all the others
in Hiroshima or Nagasaki

Little did they know when I
emerged out of the shadows
[sometime back in forty-nine]
my old war stories somehow
took on new meaning


february two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in History, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
16 Dec 2024
2 Comments

Uprising


In totality
the impending fury
becomes unstoppable
until nothing is left in its wake

when lies parade the streets
as truths
marching in lockstep with hypocrisy
it’s only a matter of time
before conversations expand
exponentially
clawing at and ripping apart
said supposed truths

and so the forest fire starts
as a single spark
long before the inevitable
is about to take place
taking down
in an instant
that which was thought to be
forever sustainable


december two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , ,
09 Oct 2024
9 Comments

Bombs over Lebanon


We used to discuss
a broad range of current events
all the while
not understanding
how stressed we were
—but now all we talk about
is the weather & the cat
both of which
are the most obvious
happenings in the world
that is outside of all-out war


october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , ,
29 Sep 2024
2 Comments

there goes the neighborhood


I flip over the egg timer on the kitchen
counter and step away

before it runs out of sand
the place across the street loses its roof

most of the neighbors here
are victims of the enemy of the state
and there aren’t many of us left

I’ve been meaning to get the hell
out of dodge for a long time now

what keeps me here is anyone’s best guess

maybe I’m holding out for a miracle
all the while practicing the art of
turning the other cheek


september two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , ,
18 Aug 2024
2 Comments

never-ending war


the field was full of mines
blending in with grasses
flowers & weeds

signs are posted everywhere
colored red & yellow
images of skull & crossbones
signs of impending doom

and yet death & disability
continue to this day
a stark reminder to the locals
how the war never ended


august two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , ,
12 Aug 2024

heading east


I am new to the city
but not lost
internal instincts
telling me which way
to turn and when

the old city is long gone
once flattened
by supernatural forces
other times sacked
at the hands of men

having found comfort
underground
there’s a relative sense
of security here
finding a little light to map
my next leg
further from the border


august two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , | Leave a comment
08 Aug 2024

Invasion


The winds brought in
birds of a different color
black horned raptors
& little white swifties
some sort of gray swallow
just to name a few

They hung out mostly
by bay windows
& electrical substations
performing provocative
aerial shows
to a distrustful citizenry


august two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , | Leave a comment
12 Jun 2024

peace without war


she told me I wasn’t the one
and I believed her

she said there would be someone else
long after my time here
who would wage the war of all wars
one that would bring
everlasting peace

I responded in kind
saying I wanted peace without
waging another war

it was then she left the room
laughing as she went


june two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , | Leave a comment
30 May 2024

beauty born within


the beauty queen is gone
courtesy of a ticking time bomb
counting down from the war zone
since the day she was born

she knew not the beauty
nor the innocence born within
wrapped inside her mother’s arms
for what seemed an eternity


may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , | Leave a comment
06 May 2024
2 Comments

nothing much


she asked what I had
done all day
this after doing god knows what
from nine to five

for a second I thought it was
a trick question
but I quickly regrouped
and said I’d spent most of the day
watching the war in real time

in my mind
the better question might be
what’s that sweet smell
you got going on in the kitchen


may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , ,

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