jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

08 Jun 2020
4 Comments

The Counterfeiter


I’ve been making & laundering money
for nearly eleven months now
and as they say so far so good

It took nearly just as long to set up shop
but the legwork & overtime efforts
appear to be finally paying off

Running your own business has its pros & cons
[as you may or may not know]
if anything it’s afforded me to travel abroad
where the greenback is wildly accepted

One thing keeping me up at night though
is the eventual transition to a cashless society
forcing me back into the bitcoin mines




june two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
07 Jun 2020
3 Comments

treasure hunter


word on the street says you’ve figured out
where the treasure is hidden
you know the one buried somewhere
in the rocky mountains

so many previous attempts
so many complicated arrests
and five too many deaths

while the streets and the virus
leave us in maddening turmoil
you’re devising your own escape
disappearing like tinkerbell
or some recent lotto winner

along the way you collect items
by way of photograph
human hair & buffalo skull
but the feathered talisman you pocket
just hours before the find

there’s a good chance we’ll never know
who you may or may not be
unless of course you care to wager a guess




june two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
06 Jun 2020

in the end


here we are again flying against the wind
settled safely inside the saucer

we’re going thousands of miles per hour
strapped into our seats like babies

praying we’ll soon arrive at our destination
unharmed from the outside world

where to begin is the universal question
as if the moon & stars were always here

we marvel at the insects & birds & clouds
distractions from accomplishing our mission

where in the end we step out into this world
without bodysuits and without judgment
accepting the miraculous air without fear




june two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
05 Jun 2020
9 Comments

hunting in the dark


mushrooms are blooming everywhere
and I’ve not yet fallen asleep

it’s intense out in the fields
stars & supersonic sounds concealing
nearly dead brain waves coming back to life

it’s as if you’ve walked through here before
creating space & carving new paths
careful not to disturb the peace




june two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
04 Jun 2020
7 Comments

after the cities fall


listen to the music
it’s just about everywhere
whether piped in out of thin air
or playing loud & live
right in your own backyard

no matter the time of day
the music attracts
birds & bees & curiosity seekers
traveling distances near & far
to feel what you feel

nobody wants to leave
after all it’s the place to be
where the music never ends
and peace & harmony
has begun to take root




june two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , ,
03 Jun 2020

scene one act one take one hundred


it’s neither better nor worse
it simply evolves from one
moment to the next
how it fits inside your head
isn’t anyone’s guess but yours

you can turn down the sound
or blast it past the limit
either way it’s not going anywhere
whether tugging at your sanity
or playing hide-n-go-seek

armies amass on the stage
in full gear & practicing lines
their audience obsolete
the outside world looking in
reworking the script on the run




june two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
02 Jun 2020
2 Comments

on becoming the bullgod


in the ninth count of every seven years
you’re reaching out to the bullgod for some reason

there’s no answer but you keep hitting redial
intent on making a connection for some reason

back in the first cycle you were a one-boy army
protecting your turf & sanity for some reason

it doesn’t matter if anybody understands the lyrics
you always saddle back up for some reason

from fourteen to twenty-one to twenty-eight (etc etc)
you subconsciously regress for some reason

adding & subtracting and multiplying & dividing
thoughts & prayers aren’t enough for some reason

violent explosions shoot molecular pieces into the air
falling down like nuclear snow for some reason

lately you fiddle with tubed televisions & amplifiers
thinking the bullgod is your ticket out for some reason




june two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
01 Jun 2020
7 Comments

nyctinasty [or where the poppy fields burn]


we start & we stop & we start again
I mean everyone needs to rest & refuel
before getting back in on the action

it seems like everyone’s wearing masks
either protecting themselves or others
but perhaps for other reasons entirely
big brother capturing the action on video
sometimes from as far away as 5oo miles

meanwhile beyond the cities poppy fields
live & die year after year after year
folding themselves in on cool summer nights
only to reopen come the morning light




june two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
31 May 2020
6 Comments

hesitation & pause


plucking one petal at a time
whispering she loves me
she loves me not

some are red and some are yellow
but none are black & white

outside I hear hesitation & pause
as if the birds are aware of every
single misstep man has ever taken

on the television screen
five o’clock images
are more disturbing than usual
the sound muted
love songs playing inside my head




may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, In the City, Poetry and tagged ,
30 May 2020
5 Comments

where’ve you been


so I started to say something
but then I stopped

no what
really what were you going to say

I don’t remember
I swear the other day there was something
I needed to tell you
but by the time I saw you I forgot it all
that is until another 12 hours passed by

what
what is it
tell me tell me tell me

I told you I don’t remember

but you just said you remembered 12 hours later

haven’t you been listening
that was forever ago




may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
29 May 2020

one town at a time


the downtown pigeons are becoming
more & more comfortable in their own skin
loitering wherever they please
empowered as fewer & fewer humans
make their way up & down the streets

I can’t imagine what happens next
what sort of confrontations may transpire
once all the lights turn green
madmen rushing to reestablish their turf
disregarding the whites of anyone’s eyes




may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, In the City, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
28 May 2020

caught inside the crossfire


stars rise and airplanes crash
it’s simply a matter of fact

some are easily seen
while others fly under the radar
undetectable by programmable spotlights
trained to find the impossible

from way up high everything looks fine
like peaches & cream accentuated
with dark chocolate
& sweet kisses

it’s hard to spot blemishes & skirmishes
from a million miles away
fires burning down cities
look like street lamps lighting up rain-soaked streets

alleys & avenues are drenched with fire
local aircraft either hovering or grounded
the stars of the sky eerily absent
unable to be wished upon




may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
27 May 2020
6 Comments

harnessing the wind


rent is three weeks overdue but that’s cool
according to the new rules

then there’s three of us or perhaps four
hanging out in the third floor dormer
glass writing desk facing the octagonal sky

time travel seems easy of late
caught between reality & endless grace days
transgressing past the same old lines

here we go again overlooking the mississippi
up a little higher than prospect park
smoking salems and reloading the toker ii

we take turns passing the binoculars
bringing into focus various white triangles
racing faster than the wind




may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
26 May 2020

where the women sing


I was asked to step down & so I did
thirty-some steps & right-handed steel railing
assisting me to the banks of the river

it’s not like I’ve not done this before
time & time again so long ago
cracks in the concrete like an old story
artistically enhanced & completely believable

who’s calling me is subject to interpretation
I suggest you theorize for yourself
since all you have to work with are a few
printed words & more circulating in the air

there’s a boat anchored past the rocks
sails down & seemingly deserted
imaginary lifeline meeting me halfway




may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
25 May 2020
2 Comments

low hanging fruit


how does a fly get so fat before the solstice
what could he be feasting on
and how in the world
did he make his way inside the house

I had my chance a couple of times
to either stun him or catch him outright
casting him back out to the great wide open
but I decided the better of it
and went about my own business

now that I think about it
I wonder how many spiders are living
comfortably within my abode
knowing full well the dullest of houseflies
are the lowest hanging fruit there is




may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
24 May 2020

runner in scoring position


it’s midsummer on a saturday night
the stadium lights attracting every flying
insect within 500 nanometers
first batter already on first base
thanks to beckert’s fielding error

brock’s not getting much of a lead
but everyone’s expecting him to take off
on the first or second or third pitch

the night’s young & the city’s abuzz
the runner back in motion
light years ahead of jenkin’s delivery
taking with him every intention
of never stepping down from the game




may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Baseball, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment

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