jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

19 Oct 2018
3 Comments

bucket list


you fill the bucket
then you empty it
time and time again

you walk barefoot through village
basket atop head and well-balanced
curious children scurrying along
multiple guessing what must be inside

you empty the bucket
then you fill it
time and time again

you finally reach home by midday
made of mud and straw and love
all the children stopping their guessing
quietly sitting and awaiting a miracle

you fill the bucket
then you empty it
time and time again




october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
18 Oct 2018

October Winds


There’s good reason the wind’s
gone crazy this time of year
a time typically reserved for
pause and serenity and reflection

I’ve known this part of the world
counting days immeasurable
only recently interrupting dreams
once ever so pleasurable

October winds ushering change
welcomed or otherwise
providing comfort to the living
offering light onto the fading




october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
17 Oct 2018
4 Comments

story of my life


up and down
and down and up
that’s the story of my life

what’s that noise
just outside the door
a bark
a meow
an unexpected package
a girl scout selling thin mints

doorbell rings
I get up and walk
through the kitchen
and family room
mumbling beneath my breath
this better be good
this better be good

door opens
nobody’s there
I look at my feet
no dog
no cat
no package
no cookie salesgirl

before closing door
I look all ways
up and down
and down and up
from side to side
straight forward and behind
shaking the cobwebs
out of my head
and gradually regressing
to my former state




october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
16 Oct 2018

off the charts


it’s not like you haven’t dived deep before
searching for treasure or love or knowledge
your mind unfocused and wandering
occasionally skyrocketing

you’ve scouted for places to rest your head
you’ve loved and lost time and time again
unload any notion of second guessing
brace yourself and securely strap in




october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
15 Oct 2018

mirror for the soul


black on grey aviator high in flight
solitary and void of thought
soaring and sharing potentialities
to shadowy souls down below
their earthbound eyes
transfixed at effortless emotions
smiles forming and fingers pointing
curiously considering the possible
inevitability of one day doing the same




october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
14 Oct 2018
2 Comments

I don’t want to die today


give me the gun
the lady with the english accent says
(demands actually) at the young person
pointing a finger at her

intermittent tears start to escape
from the corners of the young
person’s eyes
slowly creeping past her well-
defined cherry red cheeks
beginning to touch the corners
of her upside-down mouth

I won’t I won’t she responds
nervously but defiantly
you ruined everything
with your so-called utopian teachings

the woman with the english accent
begins to talk in a language
the young person with the gun
can maybe understand
non-threatening and nonsensical
yet sounding awkwardly comfortable

and as the sky begins to cry
ever so softly
the gun is altogether abandoned
and the world
(as fragile as she is)
is momentarily at peace




october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
13 Oct 2018
10 Comments

never waste a good crisis


I’m not prepared for anything
be it good news or bad
delivered by barefoot paperboy
or hopeless carrier pigeon

I understand chicken little
runs around with head cut off
half-baked and half-believable

on the highest branches
hawks and doves jockey for position
invisible wires coursing through
their leaf-like veins

eventually everything must break
be it wishbones or promises
whether made in earnest or haste

evening sky blows up peacefully
giving way to distilled silence
lanterns flickering far away
quietly ushering brand new day




october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
11 Oct 2018
2 Comments

pharmaceutical blues


concocted chemicals wreck havoc
inside transitory brain waves
slowing down destructive forces
or speeding up creative processes
depending upon time of day

though perfectly aware where I’ve been
I certainly don’t know where I’m going
any given day of the week

and the more I read
the more I’m convinced this world
isn’t meant for either you or me

rewinding and replaying scenarios
works just fine in cinematology
but back home far from big screen
there are no body doubles
capable of resurrecting dying roles




october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
10 Oct 2018
2 Comments

transposing public transportation


I am reminded of nothing
save shrewd tactics of those I know not
tearing and snarling and shredding
turning fabric into mayhem
like a mongrel in distress

leashless on the streets
roaming like a werewolf in london
big dawg strides unencumbered
attempting new tricks inside
buses and trains and taxicabs




october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,
09 Oct 2018
2 Comments

mandolin blues


there’s no anticipation of any sort
driving down this rural rollercoaster-like road
emotions tucked inside glove box
top down and speakers outperforming
background warblers racing along
and singing gloriously

I’ve been chasing recurring dreams
for such a long time seems like reality
somehow though it never gets old
eclectic mandolin relaxing my inner ear
keeping my spirits perfectly in tune
with this endless country road




october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
08 Oct 2018
2 Comments

like wars fought near and far


I’ve been practicing my lines
sometimes while drinking
other times in my sleep
saying them out loud when
nobody’s around
whispering them under my
breath at check out lines or
while idling at red lights

though the world is dying
the coming winter should
slow the process down
allowing for pause
and consideration
whether well rehearsed lines
(like wars fought near and far)
actually require repeating




october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , ,
07 Oct 2018

reworking reality virtually at will


there are no masterpieces
on my horizon
no one and dones
or one-hit wonders
only baby steps softly falling
taking me from this place
to the next
wherever that may be

when nobody’s looking
I dive deep into
a nearby galaxy
jotting down virtual notes on
similarities and differences
returning home and
reworking my memory
into everyday realities




october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
06 Oct 2018
2 Comments

Southern Man


My idol died in a plane crash
(some forty years ago)
yet here I sit reminiscing
imagining how much more
should have been accomplished

Perhaps I’m thinking it all wrong
as I sit here backspacing
collecting dark thoughts
and listening to the blues

I keep telling myself I ain’t
going anywhere anytime soon
but truth be told my idol knows
much better than I ever will

Adjusting to continual change
(as well as latitudes & attitudes)
I stick with kentucky whiskey
reworking decades old lyrics
and booking chartered flights



october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
05 Oct 2018
2 Comments

A feeling of not being there


I didn’t tell you I was scared of heights
because I assumed you knew me
better than I knew myself

How wrong things turned out to be
soon after your star seemed to take off
now falling fast and further
than anyone could have ever fathomed

Clouds at ten thousand feet are much whiter
than they appear from the ground
and I believe you when you tell me
heaven is not any closer




october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , ,
04 Oct 2018
4 Comments

white dove


stories we tell
sometimes disguised as poetry
reveal most everything
you need to know
about current state of affairs

tales from the jungle
always gives you the jimmies
yet you keep going back
somehow believing
the ending will be different

history repeating
always playing your part
sometimes like a tin soldier
marching in the fields
praying for winter to come




october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , ,
03 Oct 2018
4 Comments

mourning dove


do not say a word my love
let this moment stay awhile
like a painting on loan
temporarily free for all to see

one night I dreamed we kissed
beneath artificial lights
our surreal solitary star
undetected yet pulsating

once morning arrives
I awake to singing voices
projecting shadows
on my wall of memory




october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Dreams, Poetry and tagged ,

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →