jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Beyond These Walls


This strange new world has me abounded by fear
not sure where I stand
unsure when I may fall

The aggression builds boundlessly
until the anger lets loose

And when it’s over
when I reflect on the action
when I’m all alone in my own little world

I weep
yes I weep like an angel

Since when do actions speak more loudly than words?
I say Jesus’ acts were more powerful than his gospel
(I keep him in my pocket, like a slug)
And when I’m sure that I can’t stand
on my own two feet
I reach for him

and weep
yes I weep like an angel

Try to believe you’re no different
than you were at the age of three
and you’re fooling yourself

Try to believe you’ve never pulled the trigger
and you’re fooling yourself

White concrete and silver steel
have never had the same meaning
as they do now


originally penned nineteen ninety-six
audio recorded june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

missing organ donor


those freckled spots mysteriously
appearing overnight on my arms
remind me
how very much alive I am
my markings like rings on a tree
perhaps one day
exposed for all to see



june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

triple-header


out in the field we wielded sickles
carving weeds into baselines
and summer into baseball

when word got out about the
neighborhood transformation
prospects from near and far arrived by
foot and on bike with gloves and caps
and bubble gum and bats

curious seekers trickled in
spectating the self-governed exhibitions
sitting on lawn chairs and blankets
munching popcorn and cracker jack
and sipping five cent lemonade

as the winning run crossed the plate
dinner bells could be heard
echoing through the streets
a signal of sorts to choose two new teams
followed by the first pitch to the third
and final game


june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

pushing and pulling


it’s so dark I can’t even see my fingers
so cold cannot feel my heart

machines hum along in the white room
giving me fresh air and influencing my dreams

what nobody knows
       is when I’ll be home
or when I’ll be able to say
       I remember everything

(due to atmospheric disturbances
summer never arrived)

crawling through the rubble
my fingertips make rocks sound like glass
rubbing against themselves like butterfly wings

scratching below the surface
I give inspiration to newly awakened lives




june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Watching a Petal


With exact timing the rain-soaked branchlet
released water-droplets; while below
a soft, geranium petal strained to reach
the four o’clock sun, its efforts deterred
by a consistent explosion of sorts.


originally penned circa nineteen ninety-two
audio recorded june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

spider queen


santa ana winds fan
the flames and further
separate the queen
from her entourage

armed with rain clouds
pawns venture in unafraid
questing to rescue the
queen of the stone age

her king relocates castle
closer to the shoreline
petitions clergymen
for a wing and a prayer

backed into a corner
queen abandons her netting
races with her babies
spraying pepper mace


june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

ode to the sea bird


bird of prey
invisible in flight
dies a hero’s death
rises on the other side

bird renewed
transgressing in time
dives past new moons
attacks as meteorites

bird of the ark
born inside a lab
circles among the clouds
destined to find land


june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

the house next door


I found my teeth in the guest bathroom
inside an empty jar of vaseline

I called out to see if anyone was home
and was thrilled to see the cat
rubbing up against the hallway

smiling I tickled my ivories
with my tongue and pressed my bridge
tighter with my thumbs

opening the shade to one of the dormers
light flooded in and nearly
killed me

across the street an unmarked car
slowly came into focus
a man with a hat in the driver’s seat
smoking a cigarette

walking away I told myself
that house across the street is much
dirtier than mine
and I sat down on the edge of the bed
shivering
considering my next move


june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

metallic storm


stars are brightest in the desert
and from there you can clearly
see the other worlds

beneath the sand the past lives on
beating shallow breathes and
awaiting the next impact

time travelers land without incident
collecting precious data
left behind by meteorites

full moon pushes old photographs
onto the new shoreline
giving rise to the possibility
that life somehow lived on




june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

who do you think you are


I’m nothing like you
I do declare
raising my nose high in the air
turning my back
(or should I say derrière)
to your very existence
and incendiary ideas



june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

up around the bend


in the distance you hear
repetitive pounding of steel on steel
hammer on railroad spike
near perfect in rhythmic meter
and gradually pleasing to the ear

workers form a line around the bend
like pistons rising and falling
each man a link to the next
rotating and following further and
further away from their cages


june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

where oh where can she be


she’s in a better place now
he mumbled to himself
retying his wingtips on the bathroom stool
dabbing his finger with his tongue
and erasing old smudge marks

she never felt comfortable
walking in her own shoes
choosing instead to be someone else
like a promising young star
searching for that perfect role

he walked back into the parlor
and mingled among the living
wondering where in the macrocosm
her consciousness had landed
now that her body lay in state


june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

the seven gods of fortune


their ship sails interstellar space
blasted from earth ages ago
pursuing various missions
beyond the southern dwarf
especially keen on harvesting
gold from fallen civilizations
and gifting back as good fortune
to the children of the stars




may two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

hurry sundown


hurry sundown
so we may pretend
flashes in the sky are lightning bolts
and sirens sounding in the night
mere weather warnings

hurry sundown
so we may pretend
that the faraway drums are rolling thunder
and the stomping of boots on concrete
just a relentless downpour

hurry sundown
so we may pretend
to sneak away like children of the night
uncaging the white doves held captive
by enemies with false memories




may two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

sailing to philadelphia


he sailed to philadelphia in a dream
sent by angels to rediscover a land
known for its doves and roses

he surveyed the streets on sandaled feet
breathing in air and admiring the people
who were nearly like him
who were down-to-earth
and homeless

everyone who witnessed the scars of
his past tattooed on his arms
and feet and sides
welcomed him with open smiles
begging him to break bread with them



may two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

running on empty


reborn into this world
no longer can I say
I don’t belong
can no longer keep quiet
my doubts about
making it out alive
once the fossil fuels are gone

putting down half-filled shots
of eighty proof rye
rocket scientists collude with
future historians
rewriting how everything
precisely went down
once the reserves ran dry


may two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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