desert prince
someone once promised
you the world but failed
in their efforts
having ascended into the skies
like a bird released
from its cage
unexpectedly
and so you were left
with only an idea
how to possess the world
if only for a brief moment
the idea itself becoming
its own energy
like waves
reshaping the shoreline
december two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
What circumstance on starless night
Does weary wanderer seek to find
But a place to shelter and to sleep
Perchance a meal & pint of ale
So should his good fortune prevail
Solitary soul as silvery as a ghost
Arrives & departs without a trace
As if his presence was ever felt
december two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Back in junior high school
way back in seventy-four
we practiced this McCartney song
until our voices bled
I vaguely recall performing
this piece in public
and as far as its reception
I imagine it must have been
lukewarm at best
—I mean at that age
are you kidding me
Now that I’m less than
a year away from the milestone
I’m beginning to suspect
Sir Paul had me in mind when
putting together his little ditty
now that I’m an old boy
staying out till quarter to three
december two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I don’t care for conflict
Never have
I suspect nobody does
But the fact is it’s universal
Once you think you’ve freed yourself from it
It rears its ugly head
It’s like a little black cloud that won’t go away
And every so often you wonder
Were we once the best of friends
december two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the mute doesn’t germinate words
on the tip of his tongue
instead they’re at the tip of his fingers
and so he sits there
dumbfounded & motionless
the screams though
they come in loud & clear
on the personal unconscious level
at times loud enough
to shake him to the core
awakening him from a deep deep sleep
to dream is to scream
or so says the mute
staring at his fingertips
channeling the collective unconscious
writing down each experience
once reawakening
december two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Sometimes I’ll ask myself
what would Bukowski do
and sure enough
I find myself back at the track
having a beer
& studying the program
in the back of my mind
calculating how much I might
possibly win
but more importantly
how much I couldn’t
afford to lose
december two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s hard to imagine
what could possibly be
inside such a place
the colors & the sounds
as foreign as an unknown language
the flora & fauna
indescribable & wilder
than your wildest dreams
—and the more you
think about all the possibilities
the more you’re certain
crossing over into the beautiful abyss
is what you’re dying for
this irresistible desire
to be interwoven into the secret
december two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Nobody needs a reason
to be sad
it just happens
I mean sure people have many
reasons to be sad
and they are because of it
that’s a given
but generally speaking
having a reason is not a prerequisite
to sadness
And so there it is
a little pink dress hanging on
a little hanger
in my peripheral
challenging me to make it a reason
december two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’m like an actor
between gigs I need to work a little
call it a side hustle
an evil necessity
Depending how bad the losses
from the night before
the side hustle might take
days longer than preferred
as we know man cannot live
on losses alone
Sometimes
you’ll find me back in the game
when I’m not supposed to be
that’s not really me
that’s only desperation at its finest
in dire need to breathe in
a little second-hand smoke
I have no need for fancy digs
just a little row house
along the river
three rooms in total
and a bicycle in the garage
bus pass hanging from a chain
around my collar
Once I’m dead or dead broke
someone will be rifling
through my trophies
shuffling through my photographs
like some deck of cards
looking for one that looks like lady luck
But you won’t find me
in any of those pictures
not as long as I got a passport
and a buy-in at the Bellagio
or better yet San Remo
december two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Out of the blue winter arrives unannounced
a flock of geese aided by northwest winds
settling on a lake locked inside no man’s land
far away from any civilian populations
a flock of geese aided by northwest winds
covering over one thousand miles
far away from any civilian populations
migrating loudly & seemingly effortless
covering over one thousand miles
unaffected by the plummeting temperatures
migrating loudly & seemingly effortless
over forest & mountain & open plain
unaffected by the plummeting temperatures
out of the blue winter arrives unannounced
over forest & mountain & open plain
settling on a lake locked inside no man’s land
december two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
something’s missing
though I don’t know what it is
I imagine if I saw it
a bell or two would ring
I suspect it isn’t tangible
but if I could touch it
I would have to question
its authenticity
would have to wonder
whether whatever it is
could make it to the next world
I am destined for
you can’t take it with you
or so I’ve been told
leading to the age-old question
why the hell not
november two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
you matter of factly
lost interest in reality
stopped reading the news
in order to stave off
impending insanity
alternative worlds abound
the trick is finding
the ones you want to
stay lost in
living on roots &
mushrooms & rainwater
falling from a violet sky
back in the real world
search parties
are on the lookout
for someone who looks
just like you
reportedly last seen
entering yeti territory
november two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
first we moved the comfy chair
and matching ottoman
from the upstairs master bedroom
to the basement man cave
the wooden floor lamp went next
along with any memory
of a summer that wasn’t ever
supposed to end
november two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I don’t know much about Marlon Brando
other than he’s much like the universe
complex & full of contradictions
Makes me think of Hemingway whom I’ve
read is complex & full of contradictions
having an affinity for that split
second before death
I once knew this girl in high school
she sang just like Janis Joplin
her voice masterful & voluminous
as if projecting from another world
complex yet uncontradictory
november two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
personal gods are childlike
always prevailing over the lessers
karmic-minded & interconnected
with everything outside
the human mind
such gods project incredible
optical hallucinations
hinting at nature’s mysteries
some seen as newly freed birds
escaping inner stability
invention based on observation
the emotional self
seeks its inner child
not out of fear or curiosity
rather out of necessity
november two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
what isn’t said becomes powerful
only if you let it
like giving in to defeat
that monster asleep inside you
awakened only if you let it
of course why wouldn’t you
when the course of events
demands it to be so
some people will shudder
though most won’t even be fazed
having already seen the beast
since last tranquilized
sightings have been few & far between
vaguely recalled as a flashy trailer
with an abrupt ending
that’s why silence seems to work best
in the present tense
to get your point across
november two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 