jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

25 Aug 2012
6 Comments

unreal television


the spider hunters believed
in making their mark
whether filmed in the amazon
or the cape of good hope

a long line of survivalists
funded their work
forsaking a return on investment
for some awesome video

the viewers became hooked
as the camouflaged pair
set traps sponsored by
some weed killer company

they reinvented themselves
season after season
adapting to new appendages
with built in silk ejectors

with ratings off the charts
they rolled the dice
promising the unheard of
to hold your attention

their evolution took a leap
episode one year eight
as a confused world watched
the birth of a new species





august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
24 Aug 2012
6 Comments

the sad tavern


we talked for hours
after the football game
starting where we left off
thirty years ago

we sat in the very same
booth, where in the day
i wrote short stories
while putting down pints

sometimes we’d sit
at the bar and chain-smoke
sipping on coffee
in between classes

you haven’t changed a bit
she said, laughing;
a reminder how she loved
to tell white lies

once in the corner
on a cold rainy night
i wept like a baby
ruining my story

after hearing the news
you searched me out
held me in your arms
until the bar closed

you know, she said,
you’ll meet her again
and her beauty
will take you away

melancholy struck me
as she covered my wrist
with her hands,
closing her eyes





august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
23 Aug 2012
2 Comments

a world goes round


gravitational forces
make the world go round
geometrically perfect
and mathematically sound
innocently conceived
of violent explosions

woe are the children
born into a whirlwind
of poverty and starvation
whose land neither spins
nor revolves with beauty
or compassion or truth

sad is the soldier
dying in a battlefield
dark clouds circling above
the beauty of the world
just a passing idea
taught in a classroom

man and his machines
compete for dominance
racing across the skies
and testing mother nature
with all the tangible wealth
this blue jewel can muster



august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
22 Aug 2012
6 Comments

go on


satan sat poised and silent
listening to the dead man’s plea
nodding like a disinterested psychiatrist
who magnanimously extended the session
so the injured soul could recount
all the right reasons
for distrusting the existence
of life after death





august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
20 Aug 2012
9 Comments

white lies


I fell in love with you from the very start
your shapely lines burned my eyes
reflecting off a mirror
I bought as a gift
before realizing
I wasn’t the only one you left penniless
with desperate thoughts of turning the blade
against my own will




august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , ,
19 Aug 2012
8 Comments

remedy


in a desperate attempt
to regain my focus
i found myself
walking the streets
of the city
for days on end
buying random thoughts
from ordinary people
in hopes of curing
the quiet desperation
of an idle mind





august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , ,
17 Aug 2012
3 Comments

virtual leave of absence


I sign in with a password
as old as the hills
one any junkie hack
should crack
without much effort

keep thinking I’ve seen it all
until some new shit
keeps popping up
every few seconds
proving I’m wrong

trying to keep cool
today I told someone
to multi-task
when I know damn well
that is so yesterday

my virtual file cabinet burned
with the last solar flare
to hit the network
disabling my efforts
to save the company

without any time to lose
I found myself
vacationing on the moon
with my new best friends
who have no names



august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
15 Aug 2012
8 Comments

Chrysalis


I had lost strength
after traveling so far
past the Nile Basin
and into the unknown

A sip from an ancient flower
tasted like perfection
numbing my legs
and sending my mind
into the night sky
where I was greeted
with weightlessness and peace

Throughout the night
I envisioned weaving
up the tallest tree
whose succulent branches
encouraged me to reach the top

Amble in my sleep
I pitched a tent
and watched the world fly by

I awakened to a dazzling
white sky with rainbow clouds
and golden snowcaps
my newfound perspective
exactly like the dream

For centuries I flew across
idle fields with virgin springs
until finally tiring a second time





august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , ,
14 Aug 2012
4 Comments

my shaman


my shaman is a musician
sitting in grandma’s rocking chair
her nylon-stringed classical guitar
strapped across his shoulder

months go by without knowing
his arrivals or departures
i imagine he’s playing her music
to a sold-out crowd in need

the mosh pit implosion gives rise
to a new kind of attention
where misunderstood children
believe in second chances

though my shaman has no wings
his imperfect compositions
sail beyond the faintest star
giving light where there is none





august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
11 Aug 2012
4 Comments

Day Tripper


I jumped off a boxcar
in downtown Kansas City
made my way
to 18th and Vine
where Satchel Paige
pitched a complete game
at Blues Stadium

With just enough dough
for two quarts of Colt 45
and Cracker Jack
I basked in the sun
keeping score and
losing my voice cheering
on the Monarchs

Down to my last nickel
I walk toward the whistle
cold and sober
tired and hungry
needing to steal a ride
and a good night’s sleep
back to Chicago



august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Baseball, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
11 Aug 2012

awakening


flatfooted on the edge
of a supersized
new york city highrise
i calmly stand tall
like an olympian diver
slowly rising to her toes
before falling into twisted
recollections of fetal positions
and outstretched arms
a trail of shuttering thumbnails
racing faster and faster
until forever buried
below the water’s wake



august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
08 Aug 2012
2 Comments

android


reborn from the ashes
of ancient man
my new robot registers
some 2.4 million
years of age

her memory recalls
walking upright
from the very start
when dinosaur parts
sold on street corners

newly retooled in a shop
in downtown phoenix
his synthetic upgrades
looked as real as
tomorrow’s avatars

aware its architecture
forever evolved
it didn’t take long
until i was integrated
into the next release





august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, History, Poetry and tagged , , ,
06 Aug 2012

Reckoning


The fear in your face
scared me half to death.
In just a matter of seconds
your eyes told me a story
I never want to hear again.

Why you drifted into the desert
that starless night
only you’ll understand.
I just prayed to god
your pistols were loaded.



august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
05 Aug 2012
8 Comments

my dear friend beer


i am never alone
as long as beer
is nearby
whether she be
in the refrigerator
or at the corner store

after a long day at work
i try to recall
the night before
wonder if any beer
is left before i stop
to buy some more

at happy hour
my friends say
final final final
as we clank
our frosty mugs
to toast another round

when life is less bright
i cry in my beer
and swallow my tears
but when life is grand
i raise my hand
to give praise with a beer

some say heaven
there is no beer
but i say
to hell with that
please bury me
with six pack in hand



august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
04 Aug 2012
5 Comments

When I Grow Up


Born to a clan of precision
stone cutters we hunt
for the larger population
roaming mesas and plateaus
and mountainsides
armed with clovis tip spears
knives and knowledge
our larger than life trophies
transformed into meat and clothing
jewelry and armor and weapons
and terrifyingly heroic tales
of gigantic proportions
leaving the little ones
amazed and inspired to dream
big all winter long



august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
02 Aug 2012
9 Comments

Selena


I recall the day
she was thin
wearing a new
eggshell white t-shirt
innocently smiling

The passage of time
reshaped her views
becoming impartial
to the crescent
and the cross

Continuing to mature
languor set in
her spirit seemingly
broken in half
her desires numb

Feeding on earth
she became pregnant
with knowledge
bulging like a gibbous
and loud as a siren

Her finest moment
exposes all that is dark
shining light on
an uncertain world
full of hope
and trepidation



august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,

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