science & data can’t explain
emotions of the heart
longing & loss
compassion
depression
love & loneliness
numbers alone
cannot asses
the true condition
of a broken heart
like a fractured melody
a rhythm lost in the dark
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the cops wanted
the surveillance footage
but all that was there
was white noise
watching for an hour or two
not a single one
could possibly tell you
what was what
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s become public knowledge
bounty hunters
have been going after hand-picked fat cats
of all stripes
mostly from first-world countries
on land or at sea
according to non-governmental officials
aliens life forms have assimilated
with humans for decades now
cooperating in covert operations
in nonviolent ways
some say they are the
bounty hunters
their influence game-changing
meticulously reengineering the warlords
within the human genome
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the eyes were magically manufactured
in a basement lab in downtown atlanta
the limbs arrived by boat from taiwan
african dwarf goats from ghana
provided the hair
& presumably the stuffing
the face itself
came from clay of the coastal plains
of the gulf of mexico
each molded into shape
& painted by hand
by one hundred chosen artists
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
you could smell
but did not taste the citric acid
the buds on your tongue
all but gone
you once believed in miracles
fairy tales & a ghost
named pseudo su
you used to carry
one-way tickets
to unlimited destinations
but traded them in
for a kiss & three wishes
how did you not notice
I’m not around here anymore
at least not in broad daylight
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I wonder what they’re saying
chatty birds in nearby trees
clearly heard amid the calm
before the storm
might they be saying
get underground all you fools
or better yet be prepared
to ride with the wind
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
how’s your tendinitis
do you remember when you had
to stop mousing
& start fiddling around
in the garden
the heel of your right foot
remains sore from the shovel
but you don’t remember
feeling a thing
after so many beers
in the evening
as you sit on the front patio
looking at birds
through opera glasses
your phone rings & rings
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
they gave the boy permission
and so he did what he did
no questions asked
no consequences for his actions
it’s a wonder he made it
all the way to adulthood
he wasn’t a natural born killer
simply trained in such ways
moving on from animals
to ordinary people
picking & choosing as if
he were some sort of god
as if he didn’t know any better
neither wrong from right
or the photographs that he kept
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
lost in the moment
tree frogs & cicadas
fine-tuning their evening song
the first star appearing
in the darkening ceiling
—worlds far away far from motionless
what were you thinking (if anything)
when you kissed me so sweetly
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
he wore green pants
—and no it wasn’t saint paddy’s day
he wore green pants
and he’s not even irish
he just likes the way they look
one day he told his girlfriend
maybe I’ll put on green pants
every morning from here on out
she agreed they looked good on him
he was never envious
or money hungry
didn’t care for pea soup
or mowing the lawn
but he liked to wear green pants
and that became his true identity
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she said if I would stop working
on trying to solve the mystery
of the universe
maybe we’d be living
by the sea by now
I pretended not to hear
magnifying glass in hand
following the spider
making its way across the rug
and you should take that thing down
she went on to say
pointing at the corner ceiling
at the microcosm
of the world wide web
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
what stands out
is hard to recognize
like a piece of art
you’ve looked at for maybe
five minutes
before moving on
it’s right there
in your grasp
that indescribable something
that’s supposed
to make your life and/or
death easier
in either case
it leads you into thinking
it’s the unheard of
the unseen
that needs your dire attention
more than anything
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I walked along the river
its current
streaming through
bone conduction headphones
I turn the volume up
using thought commands
—the early spring leaves
in the very tall trees
growing greener
by the minute
the eagle sees the crow
but not vice versa
hawks circling overhead
escorting me along
the shoulder of the road
zeroing in on the welcome sign
at a trailhead
the river reminds me
home is further from the truth
suggesting its best
to stay close to her banks
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
though the thrill remains
it has taken a backseat
come monday morning
the rooster down the road
late to the party
mainly due to the fallout
of the geomagnetic night sky
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it was mother’s day
and graduation
the weather was awesome
sunshine & a few fluffy clouds
some with heart-shaped holes in them
—a cool wind out of the northwest
and if you’re stuck inside
trying to write poetry
you’re probably wasting your time
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
reality is a bit overrated
what with its wars
and all the pretending
that goes along with it
various men sporting colors
not making much sense
in this day and age—
red & yellow & orange
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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