jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

17 Jul 2024

buried alive


shooting nine ball in a pool hall
on the corner of oak & divisadero
I sit & watch & wonder will I ever
get a chance to turn things around

I get to thinking about all the bones
buried in the dessert
of the little girl who dug & dug
until disappearing inside kokomo beach

some stories are just too good to be true
like how she miraculously survived
saved by tourists & beachcombers
who evidently gave a damn

suddenly I come back to earth
praising the bastard running the table
my butt stuck on a bar stool
raising my hand for another chance


july two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
16 Jul 2024

making waves


pizza delivery driver
a throwback w/flowing blonde hair
singing merrily along
to any song on the air

better known by day
as the doughboy surfer
making waves off huntington beach
quite often seen on the board
devouring a slice of green
pepper & pepperoni
paid for by someone else


july two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
15 Jul 2024

what you see is not necessarily what you get


the world as we see it today
—more surreal than yesterday
puzzle pieces
in a state of flux
affecting mind & matter
especially things your eyes can’t see


july two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
11 Jul 2024
2 Comments

flowering garden


he’s become too old
to put in three tomato plants
or maintain the rose bushes
unable to get on his hands
& knees and shove the annuals
into the ground in mid-may

the garden the size of a small
badminton court
though the colors
perennially extraordinaire

the tomatoes
the only fruit to be picked
the flower blooms coming
& going from summer till fall
seemingly on their own

there is no succession plan
when it comes to the garden
yet the old man still orchestrates
what should go where
those of us who know him best
traveling from hundreds of miles away
making sure it continues
to suit his eye


july two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
10 Jul 2024

regression


I wasn’t prepared to handle
the grief that would fill me
in the dead of the night

there was a muffled cry
coming from outside
and in my confused mindset
I believed I was participating
in a waking dream

turning on the front porch light
I unlocked the door
bewildered to find my former self
curled up in a little ball
weeping ever so slightly
in my sleep


july two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
09 Jul 2024
8 Comments

living remotely


I’m not interested
in your workflow
I would rather see you
slow dance under the moonlight

the flowers in the garden
are not meant
to be picked
but if you like you may
deadhead them
when the time is right

you once asked if angels
reside in the cumulus clouds
I wonder if you remember
my one-word answer

in the dead of winter
I can see you perfectly
smiling in my peripheral
can feel your presence
even though I have no idea
where you may be


july two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
08 Jul 2024

an evolving revolution


on mars children are building
shelters & castles made of legos

within a few short years the structures
will transform into breathable homes

paving the way for the oxygen project
shielding them from the airless & crimson dome
potentially safer than any place
back home on earth

the children will grow & die off
but not before seeding

future generations of lego builders
giving way to skyscrapers

and underground cities
ripe with oxygen & rivers & purpose

creating creatures by way of
gene splicing & dna manipulation

gradually proliferating the planet
with a sense of pride & accomplishment

while back home on earth
the once blue jewel
continues to fade to gray


july two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
07 Jul 2024
2 Comments

getting out of this country


we didn’t like the neighbors anymore
so we packed our bags
destination unknown

no matter the next place
we felt displaced
& so off we went from town to town
like escaped slaves
on the run

this country was supposed to be
the land of the free
but everywhere we went
we witnessed poverty
& persecution

once upon a time far far away
we thought ourselves like anyone else
but now that we’re continually
being chased away
it’s safe to say we’re on the short list
to be replaced


july two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
06 Jul 2024
2 Comments

time seems to kiss me


some boys don’t become men
but if they did then maybe
they would have thought otherwise

you know who they are
they are just like yesterday
as you mow the lawn
or wash the car
their youthfulness suddenly
taking over your thoughts
and there you are
crying again internally

I reach out w/o knowing I do
their receptive vibes
absorb my mixed emotions
of acting out my fading years

as I sit here waiting for a sign
some sort of subliminal response
time seems to kiss me


july two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
05 Jul 2024
5 Comments

as I lay there dying


here I am again
back in my lonely room
focused on nothing but my breathing
deep & easy
like I’ve done all my life

if only I could breathe like this
in my sleep
but my demons won’t allow it
won’t take no for an answer
won’t take yes either
as if to say you have no choice
we’ll do as we please

sometimes I awaken in the morning
not remembering a thing
a slight breeze from the window
refreshing my memory
a reminder of faces once in my life
as I lay there dying [again]
trying to remember their names


july two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
04 Jul 2024
3 Comments

Face in the crowd


She wore a pretty summer dress
throwing me back some forty years
reading a short story by Shaw

Of course she’s not a girl anymore
but in my mind I guess she still is
just like I’m a boy in the eyes
of those who made me

It was the fourth of July
and I don’t remember the last time
I saw her as an innocent child
hand in hand with a little boy
& girl on either side
hurrying to find a place
to watch the parade

She probably didn’t know that I spotted her
and I couldn’t pretend that I didn’t


july two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , ,
03 Jul 2024
1 Comment

waiting on the sun


the windows needed washing
but the rains prevented
anyone from doing anything about it

it has been said it is better to wait
than to force the issue

somebody decided to open
all the windows
and next thing you know
the help was forced
to mop up the mess

they talked amongst themselves
as the rain chattered away
raising their voices in order
to be heard

the carpenters assembled
in the garage
discussing what could be done
with all the teak wood
stacked tall along the back wall


july two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
02 Jul 2024
2 Comments

changing the channel


there was a stampede
of people
a phenomenal thing
arms & legs & other body parts
broken like pretzels
inside a wooden bowl

we were sitting in a tavern
at happy hour
witnessing the aftermath
on closed caption
the bartender flashing a finger
as if it never happened


july two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
30 Jun 2024
2 Comments

seeing things as they are


I thought I’d take another angle
by giving hypnotherapy a try

under their spell I was found
inside a hole
one dug by myself
along with my other self

like some sort of oracle
the hypnotherapist convinced me to come out
commanding me to be centered
to remain focused on the present

when awakened I was half-naked
lacking any common knowledge
& for all I knew I was either
dying a slow death
or slowly coming back to life


june two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
29 Jun 2024
2 Comments

instead it just hangs there


a poem shares no secrets
rather confides & confesses
leaving in its wake
no unsolved mysteries

after the river receded
so did the mysteries
it once carried

I used to confess my sins
but there were far too many to count
and after a time I swore
allegiance to seeking only truth

once the river pulled back
I counted the pieces left behind
picking up one here & there

the pieces I kept in a satchel
hanging somewhere
I could easily retrieve
but I left them there undisturbed

if ever I wanted to
I could open & look inside
that satchel hanging somewhere


june two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
28 Jun 2024

the obstruction


he ran a micro-computer
in a place he rented on prairie drive
not far from the college where he taught
the mysteries of dark matter

in the backyard he built a lighthouse
producing its own energy
a bright luminescence
dominating the neighborhood
post-dusk to pre-dawn

eventually the authorities
demanded its removal due to
violation of some city code
to which he responded
the structure & its energy
are merely delusional


june two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment

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