jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

27 Aug 2020

just a phase


it was a billy joel kind of morning
the big hand crossing over six
she’s always a woman playing on the a-side
soon to flip over to anthony’s song

in the old days you’d make a racket
demanding I clock in as the doorman
before I was good & ready
even before the first song ever ended

over time your musical tastes changed
right along with mine
lately banging our heads against the door
reluctant to find what’s on the other side




august two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
26 Aug 2020

business as usual


I’ve neglected my hummingbird friends
far too long but through no fault of my own
oh how they must be a forgiving sort
returning once finding me back on my feet

it’s true the natural nectar may have been
decimated by the wicked wicked winds
but now there is sunlight to be found
between blinking eyes & barren ground

it’s true the landscape is ever changing
leading us to say we live in interesting times
though matter of factly it’s business as usual
reaching out & routinely replenishing




august two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
25 Aug 2020

minority bill of rights


I dreamed in a prior life
we spoke another language
the strangest of worlds
becoming all too familiar

there is this other place
far away from home
where certain spoken words
take on greater meaning

intuitively we are drawn
chasing what is ours
whether intrinsically so
or rightfully speaking




august two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
24 Aug 2020
2 Comments

inside the eye of the storm


make-believe people ask me
what was I thinking
when everything went down

I just smile like an idiot
having never been blown away
by such a bout of reality

if I was thinking I’d probably
have done things differently
maybe pretend I was a reporter
jotting down some notes
or voice recording objectively
what it was I was witnessing

instead I found myself swirling
inside the eye of the storm
past & present souls gathering
aiding & abetting my inner strength




august two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
23 Aug 2020
3 Comments

check one-two-three


my heart’s once again
connected to the outside world
beating irregularly
sending mixed signals
online & offline & back online again
sometimes unsuspecting angels
come in & take a look
but only when they have time

in my mind
I’m back in the garage
putting the improvised band
back together again
working my rock star drum kit
in an attempt to attract
rising or fading stars
willing to give it another shot



august two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
22 Aug 2020

burying the past


the game’s over
it’s taken me more years than expected
to make it all the way back home

I’d been fighting
for so many lives than my own
when they finally brought me back
I was not going to burden anyone

I was going to do what I’ve always done
determined to show
strength comes from different places

eventually I had to face the reality of my own
a little box less than five feet tall
steel capped boot pressing shovel
repeatedly into the earth


august two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
21 Aug 2020
3 Comments

wishing upon a star


we’d become separated by no fault of our own
unable to remember if it was due to gunfire
or mother nature herself

out back the horses are long gone
having escaped before the doors swung shut
galloping faster than the wind
their hooves barely touching the ground

from what I’ve learned things may never die down
& those stars shining ever brighter
will one night once again be wished upon




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

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
20 Aug 2020

not guilty


I heard she’d contracted the virus
& it wasn’t just hearsay
was told she drove 80 miles to Waterloo
to find out if it was true

god knows how long that will take

we may never know the results
having packed our bags
heading in the opposite direction
cell phones no longer working
& no destination in mind
just a strange idea that being on the move
is somehow better than doing nothing at all

each time we stop for supplies
I casually pick out meaningless postcards
compile them into the glovebox
foolishly thinking one day
I’ll turn them into something special


august two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
19 Aug 2020

but in reality it never really was


my dream is your reality
revisiting things that could have been
unable to change the course of events
but getting plenty of food for thought
be they apples or bananas
growing abundantly from utility poles
repurposed so many years ago

this place is not what it used to be
but in reality it never really was
& the minute you think
you’ve got everything figured out
something stranger comes marching on
making it perfectly clear
you’re no longer the new kid in town


august two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
18 Aug 2020

get away


I know Tracy has access to a fast car
but that’s not gonna make it for me
I’m thinking there must be a better way

nonetheless she’s in the background
singing the same song in a different key
comforting me when I need it most
reminding me there’s always another way

yeah I’ve got a job that pays all the bills
but I’m thinking working for a living
can get you only so far
that driving a fast car is fun for awhile
unless of course you can make it fly




august two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
17 Aug 2020

smoke if you got ‘em


he reminded me of bukowski
or lebowski
I can’t remember which
disheveled & maybe talking to himself

but there he was waltzing
through the aisles in his bathrobe
or batman cape
or some such in-or-out-of-fashion thing
dangling a loaf of wonderbread
holding onto a few precious items

somehow he snuck in first
at the wine & spirits checkout
me with my twelve pack
& he with his precious selections
(plus two bags of ice in the minicart)
annoyingly amusing with all that
fumbling for payment options
& mumbling via chit chat about local
sports & the art of social distancing
numerous times checking front left
& back right pockets
the hair on his chinny chin chin
growing grayer by the second

august two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
16 Aug 2020

it’s just a minor thing


it’s been a long time coming
but people are finally reading you
slowly figuring things out in their
own weird way
reiterating yes yes yes
to whatever more you have to say

taking the first train to mexico
somehow became the next reality
thoughts & words left unspoken
dreams suspended
at least for the time being
worlds spinning & maybe colliding

august two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
15 Aug 2020
9 Comments

we’ve got tonight


offline & uninfluenced by current events
we listen to old vinyls on a powerless night

generator running in every other backyard
sounding like lawn mowers with no place to go

seems like tomorrow can’t get here soon enough
but then again there’s nothing wrong with tonight


august two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
14 Aug 2020

slow dancing in my peripheral


the power is off
& all the doors are locked
baby’s fast asleep upstairs

it’s a bit scary tonight
make no mistake
I’m even a little worried
about keeping two candles burning
two battery powered fm radios
on either side of the room
playing damn near in unison
like two old lovers
slow dancing in my peripheral


august two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
13 Aug 2020

redirecting local traffic


how far can you open your mind
one in which expands & contracts
at your non-verbal commands
like some non-conformist guru

I’ve never been challenged
quite like this before
diffusing so many noises
coming from so many directions
tunneling them into a single sound
traveling directly toward me
at thousands of miles per hour

I used to think everything moved
from the west to the east
just like supersonic jet streams
& old familiar trade routes
ones in which you carved yourself
long before you were born again




august two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
12 Aug 2020

reading braille


once the war
was so many years old
the children picked up braille
& began reading again
fairly easily


august two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →