jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

27 Jun 2024

birdhouse


the birds love it here for many reasons
I wonder if they realize
I love them being here as well

they have no need to know my number
and I don’t need to know theirs

sitting in silence is impossible
as long as they’re around
singing & chatting & discussing
how the winds change their views
the shape & sizes of the clouds above
the colors & textures below

on the back deck I am building
yet another birdhouse
they seem to be engaged & learning
imitating the sawing
the hammering
the sanding
applauding after completion


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

Posted in Birds, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
26 Jun 2024
5 Comments

from the starlit crypt


in the end the world
will not remember me
though I was here
all these years

in the end the world
will be fine without me
though not for the better
this much I know

in the end the world
will break its chain
adrift into oblivion
like a rogue planet

in the end the world
becomes reckless
against a dying light
forever serene


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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
25 Jun 2024

storytelling one oh one


there are at least two sides to a story
some you can buy cheaper than others

to make yours more believable
your relative volume needs to be greater
than all the others combined

that is how Jesus & Elvis still live to this day

and lastly it matters not if the narratives are fact or fiction


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

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
24 Jun 2024

shooting past the moon


it’s not hard to fathom
how I’ll be buzzing amongst the stars
after the brutal reality
of destroying the body
whether gradually whittling away
or in a sudden burst
my estate quickly trading
at a deep discount
the church again under water
illegals replacing the stakeholders
accepting the goods
over a simple bribe


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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
23 Jun 2024

no sun no blossom


it was an untitled piece
the way they always begin
from root to blossom
some taking more years
than others
some never blossoming at all
struck down
by some unknown force
be it god or nature or god forbid man
shot down in broad daylight
in the middle of the street
no matter if in wartime
or in peace
a boy no less walking
hand in hand with his father
on a monday morning
the following sunday
wandering all alone


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

Posted in Poetry | Leave a comment
22 Jun 2024
1 Comment

moving on


some things we just don’t talk about
not anymore anyway
it’s like the storm has passed
leaving behind emotional wreckage
that someone must pick up
and so we did
not saying a word
as if what had happened
could not have been prevented
occurring for no other reason
than to reiterate
we were never in charge
of anything
not even our own lives
or those we unconditionally love


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

Posted in Poetry
21 Jun 2024
1 Comment

toward the precipice


how the weather rules
making or breaking the redness

of the newly-picked tomato
imitating the strawberry moon

providing a temporary light
to the eerie stillness

of that night before the storm
devastating crops

wreaking havoc on food chains
and supply chains

affecting the cost of living
of those already inching

toward the precipice
where sea invades land


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

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
20 Jun 2024

little white towel


dancing along the ropes
one minute left in round one
he shuffles & jabs
calculations flashing before his eyes
a precision uppercut
—followed by a haymaker
landing right at the spot
flashing lights out


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

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
19 Jun 2024
3 Comments

scared to death


hours before the dawn
I lay awake on my deathbed
breathing shallowly
the nasty weather outside
superseding any other sound
that may be coming out of my mouth

my only fear is that if I fall asleep
all hell will break loose
my mind stuck in heavy mode
processing reality into dreams
projected from my narrowly open eyes
onto the ceiling above me


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

Posted in Dreams and tagged , , ,
18 Jun 2024

market manipulation


the stock market opened unpredictably
bringing about the business of today
to a world of misfits & elites

in an interview some executive said
everything is connected
a fairly obvious observation in relation
to the internet of things

dark angels sit atop forty wall street
reading the morning headlines
and contemplating suicide

after earning seasons the bottom line
doesn’t seem to matter much
underground minions working overtime
turning red losses into black profit


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

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
17 Jun 2024

starting over


a once scorched earth
now covered in water
the flood gates
no longer operable

didn’t you once say
this place
would be uninhabitable
for anything without
roots or wings or gills

eventually even the plastic
bottles become
useful as bobbers
—artificial fish fishing for fish


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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
16 Jun 2024
3 Comments

total migration


the programmers say it’s a glitch
how the grizzly bears appear
to be walking like egyptians

it was supposed to be a child’s game
but turned into a free-for-all
online competition at an all-time high

some say it’s exactly
what the world needed as unhinged
leaders wage war like never before

the end of the story is never near
though at times the collective psyche
sees the crowd-size fading


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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
15 Jun 2024

crisscrossing


we made tracks & arrived late
to the swap meet

trading cheap seat tickets
for seed packets

exotic fruits
& wildflowers
—some plane jane vegetables

the vendor thanked us in his native tongue
a melody of syllables ending in bless you

we nodded & acknowledged by saying
we’re but mere mortals

and then off we went
to the nearest ATM machine


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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
14 Jun 2024

artificial heist


I wouldn’t know where to start
except to say the vault was left unlocked

what got out isn’t exactly known
assets with financial & emotional value

like a painting
a portrait of someone special
who used to walk the earth like the rest of us
now stopped in time
expressionless

it’s remindful of the saying about the horses
and the barn doors
how you can see them racing off
like a bird out of a cage
speed demons never to be seen

I guess it’s less about what was inside
than why it was there to begin with
in the end
cornered like a mouse facing the guillotine


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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
13 Jun 2024

like a waxing gibbous


one day she decided not to eat
having this desire on solving
the problems of existence

instead she took to liquids
at first some water & then some milk
later on a glass of lemonade
at which point she wondered
how many ghosts were haunting her mind

into the afternoon she had some tea
and thought only for a moment
how good a biscuit would taste
maybe with a little butter
or some marmalade

but then she moved on
relaxing on the settee in the parlor
sipping on a glass of chardonnay
her instincts dulled by convenience
soon falling into a stupor
soon dreaming of her teddy bear
the stuffing inside growing larger in the belly
like a waxing gibbous





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
12 Jun 2024

peace without war


she told me I wasn’t the one
and I believed her

she said there would be someone else
long after my time here
who would wage the war of all wars
one that would bring
everlasting peace

I responded in kind
saying I wanted peace without
waging another war

it was then she left the room
laughing as she went


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

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , | Leave a comment

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