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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the category “War Poems”

13 Dec 2023
4 Comments

developing stories


watching the evening news
is an old habit I’ve yet to break

I get what’s going on
no thanks to the world wide web
a constant feed linking me
to all corners of the world
as if I actually live & breathe
the air I’ve come to witness

I understand the moon
is not the same
above war-torn populations
shedding pieces of itself
like fireflies from heaven
hoping to be captured
by boys & girls
with & without homes





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

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , ,
22 Nov 2023

hypocrisy


tell me who is happy
at least those in the know
or even the ones wearing
rose-colored glasses

I understand many angels
have descended
where the bombings
are the heaviest
mending their own wings
while tending to casualties

—how dare the rest of us grow old
witnessing the powers within

[in the meantime]

peace loving people
are handcuffed & blindfolded
{many left for dead
& therefore the angels}
held hostage & violated
by way of a broken world
and empty promises





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
20 Nov 2023

cease fire


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

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
14 Nov 2023
2 Comments

the beachgoers & the firefly chasers


there was a sign of hope
amidst the ongoing trauma of war

was it the sunshine after weeks of rain

or a small flock of white doves
appearing out of nowhere
flying across the battlefield

or was it as simple as a small child
snapping off a branch from the olive tree

there were invisible badges of honor
pinned to the soldiers that perished
ambushed & incapable of defending themselves

some say they were cowards
others say martyrs
the supermajority calling them victims
or their own leaders

regardless
the invisible war intensified & the price paid
was incalculable
unseen or unheard
by the beachgoers & the firefly chasers
impatiently searching for some kind of hope





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , ,
04 Nov 2023
4 Comments

the road to empire


lies & deceit
were coded into our DNA
regardless of race or religion
or location on this planet

armies are built
in such ways
the manipulation of ordinary men
for the good of the order
for the safety of a people

repetition is but an iteration
of the entire repertoire
a treasure chest of ammunition
a bag full of tricks
a secret weapon behind the curtain

the last mile
is the bloodiest
a necessary evil if you will
the final confrontation ushering in
an empire of the third kind





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , ,
26 Oct 2023
2 Comments

aftermath


these buildings don’t belong here
sooner or later they will implode
either by an earthquake
or sworn enemy
it matters not

people will die
it’s an inevitability
no matter the property
no matter the where or the when
it will first come as a dream

and then it will be a reality
streamed online via satellite
archived to be revisited on demand
long after the world
has become a quieter place





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

Posted in Dreams, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , ,
24 Oct 2023

where are our human rights


living & dying in the moment
ongoing battles are fought
within & without
explosions displacing
deluges tempering
matters of the heart
tearing at the mind

there is no place to hide
when living & dying
for today
when intentions
& inevitabilities collide
inside a world of good & evil
neither seeming to prevail





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

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
20 Oct 2023

the dying winds of war


who do you love
when you are alone at sea
one sail & one body
—pieces of teak & cedar

space is like water
clusters of stars your next
destination
one wave after another

soon peace will be restored
—like never before
celebrations will erupt
throughout the lands

from the sea you make out
millions of candles
assembled along the shoreline
the dying winds of war
making them flicker





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

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
18 Oct 2023

ghost town revival


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

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
17 Oct 2023

the ceasefire


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

Posted in Birds, Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
14 Oct 2023

the war within


rumor has it
they’re blowing
everything up
one block at a time

nobody believes it though
claiming they don’t
have the resources
—that it’s all talk

the curtain
slightly adjusted
one eye peers out the window
shadowy figures
darting from door to door
checking the locks
& leaving pamphlets

for now the neighborhood
is safe
but has never
been any scarier





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

Posted in In the City, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
09 Oct 2023
4 Comments

it’s hard to close your eyes at night


nobody is safe yet miraculously
so many live in a constant
state of peace

whether or not the same stands true
interiorly speaking
is another matter altogether

what a world they must live in
insulated from the physically reality
of inner city warfare

the moving pictures
of airstrikes & drone attacks
can’t do justice
especially where justice
cannot be served





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

Posted in In the City, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , ,
07 Oct 2023

star wars on the planet earth


they say there is safety in numbers
an old adage likely apocryphal
this day & age

wherever people gather
there exists this potential
for mass devastation
whether by nature herself
or the acting out of malcontents

I suppose from the dawn of time
humans have been unable
to control themselves
whether it be the insatiable desire
to reach for the stars
or thirsting to destroy
that which we fail to comprehend





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

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
28 Sep 2023

where did I leave the keys


little yellow submarine
somewhere in the south pacific
well armed with nukes
& waiting to be called [when the
time is right]
when the next armed conflict
accidentally starts
on purpose
likely by a lone lunatic
w/a tricky trigger finger





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

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , | Leave a comment
05 Sep 2023

the year of the rabbit


how far back can you reach
is there a rabbit there
under your hat
or are they afraid
to even show themselves

it was supposed to be
a peaceful year
but certain powers that be
made damn sure
it wasn’t in the cards

and now the world
is once again
being bombed to death
—once optimistic rabbits
dig deeper into their holes





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
20 Aug 2023

like ocean waves


we’ve gotten used to the noise
it’s like anything else
crickets or cluster bombs or cicadas

the conflict was supposed to be
over by now
but as time goes by you come
to realize
war is never over

no matter the place or time
the world will follow you
in all its glory & destruction
implanting you here
uprooting you there
the festivals & the troubles
rolling over themselves
like ocean waves





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

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

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