what do you got
I ain’t got nothing man
what about you
what’d you got
well I got these two feet
down below me
and I know they take me places
places I ain’t never
seen before
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
when was the last time
you were yourself
can you recall the moment
one instance that says
oh yeah
that’s the epitome of me
how about when you were
three years old
ten or twenty or fifty
can you pinpoint the common
denominator
the trait or idiosyncrasy
that annoying little habit
can you name it
—put it into a sentence
some people say
they’re not the same person
they once were
but these people are liars
and probably have been
throughout
their entire lifetimes
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
beautiful moonchild
rising like a sunflower
despite the distant storms
we toast to the idea that is you
brandishing a smile unlike any other
how the room brightens
only as it should
poets gathering in the conservatory
collaborating on an ode
to a girl they once knew
the light in her eyes
showcasing inner goodness
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
if you stare at something
long enough
[even empty space]
something real or imaginary
will eventually materialize
creation is available
to anyone besides the gods
it simply needs to be
sought after
like treasure buried
deep in the forest
without diving blindly
into the prohibited abyss
how else would you
find new worlds
otherwise unimaginable
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Grief can be a burden, but also an anchor. You get used to the weight, how it holds you in place. ~ Sarah Dessen
and so we sit & wait
for the child to come back home
nobody saying a word
the clock on the wall breaking
the silence
one minute at a time
but the child will never arrive
and somehow life goes on
but in a differently
distorted kind of way
thereafter the silence
is broken by this softly sounding
weeping of sorts
the kind that eventually
wakes you up at night
keeping you from ever
falling back to sleep
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
they said he was a lazy fuck
but what did they know
they’re the ones
screwing up the system
believing every word they hear
acting like animals any chance they get
motivated by jealousy & fear
and a serious lack of understanding
truth be told he wasn’t a lazy fuck
but rather a planner & a dreamer
eyes focused on the stars
and especially unconcerned
what they may think
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the powers that be
are upon us
they cast spells
on the ones without eyes
incantations
for wayward souls….
there is no awakening
for those
who cannot sleep
for their days are filled
with promises
impossible
to be kept
yet they move forward
chasing death
with great abandon
as if there is ever
any tomorrow
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
how fragile is the state of mind
whether wide awake
or deep in sleep
recuperating & repairing
projecting realities never before seen
once gathering consciousness
what will you recall
of yesterdays
distinguishing near death reality
from bootlegged creations
moving pictures passing by
at a snail’s pace
or faster than the speed of light
pushing and pulling
from this present-day reality
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the train departs
on the hour every hour
never late
never early
but always mostly full
it you want to leave today
then baby you got all day
and if you don’t
well the train keeps going anyway
—every tomorrow
the train departs
on the hour every hour
never late
never early
almost always full
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
The King says she’s mad at the world
but chances are it’s just him
Afterall how much ego can one take
after decades of conditioning
how much strength can you muster
as your body continues
to betray you
He says she’s mad at the world
but when I visited her
she was telling stories
& laughing
sometimes at herself
sometimes at friends dead or alive
but most times at a world
continually testing her resolve
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the living wood
handcrafted into the shape
of a guitar
sanded & stained
sung to during creation
—strung by strands of steel
one slightly slimmer
than the other
lithe like a woman’s figure
fine-tuned & alluring
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
where do you begin
once understanding how the end
is always present
there’s nothing to second guess here
since it all happens all at once
objects thrown at you
from all directions
as if you’re a participant inside
a cartoon sketch
or pinball machine
you’re making moves
you never knew you possessed
deflecting deviations
with the palms of your hands
and the bottoms of your feet
and then you find yourself inside
a collective dance
synchronizing new ideas with past lives
as if it’s second nature
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’ve been blessed by the moon
from the very beginning
entering my consciousness
at a very young age
when I thought my thoughts
were implanted there
by the dying satellite
we were supposed to be friends
but remained only acquaintances
all these years
like two brothers born
twelve years apart
as for the blessing
at first I thought it was a curse
until coming to understand
death comes early & often
forever fearless
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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
I got skunks tearing up my backyard
looking for grubs or worms or whatnot
I thought they were moles
but the moleman said you ain’t got moles
you got skunks or maybe coons
Geez skunks no kidding I said
or racoons
damn go figure
The moleman said I’d love to take
your money but you ain’t got moles
adding whatever they are
they’ll probably go away over time
give it a couple weeks and see
what happens
Skunks I said damn go figure
I shook the moleman’s hand
and he drove away
in his beat-up pickup truck
I went back inside the house
and poured me a beer
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
at ease
in my loneliness
my recent thoughts
are like deep cuts
from prior lives
bubbling to the surface
like oil at the bottom of a well
that had long run dry
where these things
take me
is strange & familiar
not defined by
land or air or sea
but rather a sixth sense
that I am unable to describe
using mere words
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 