jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

23 Mar 2024

Tomorrow


with a nod to Chad Bennett

They changed the lyrics to the National Anthem.

The gardener mistakes a weed for a flower.

A little boy stands on a stool & asks to lick the beaters.

Downtown the pigeons defecate on the owl decoys.

Most everyone doesn’t know Miss America’s name.

All the flights to Moscow have been canceled.

Many believe The Beatles will one day reunite.

The name Mary Jane is making a major comeback.

Another rocket is launched into outer space.

The doctor tells the patient her cancer is receding.

Nobody wept at his funeral.





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
22 Mar 2024

what your country can do for you


sorry JFK
but that think not thing
seems to have been permanently
buried in the past
replaced by old-school selfishness
—something you thought worthy
to metamorphose into civility

though the idea strikes a chord
today’s political reality
remains a dysfunctional fiasco
—something the coming of age
generations may inherently relate to
redefining indifference
if you know what I mean





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
21 Mar 2024

laundry list


everything needs to be redone
a sigh escapes
a tangled mess
the kitchen sink to be replaced
ceramic or steel or granite
she just can’t decide

roses or tulips
the decision hangs
unwanted lilies having taken over
a neglected garden
the rusted shovel stuck in the tundra
a winter’s white flag
paint flaking off the wooden handle
a silent cry for spring’s embrace

dining room table
wounded & unbalanced
missing a leg
the california king a watery betrayal
soaks dreams in its silent leak

even the man door
guardian of the garage
stands defiant w/its broken latch

they’ll get right on it
but a hollow refrain
echoing throughout the cluttered day
but as for now the list remains
a silent weight
a weary maze





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
20 Mar 2024

tomorrow I’ll be gone


before I begin let me
go back up to the very beginning
where weapons of war
were as rudimentary
as the very act of rape

how can you write about hunger
without ever going hungry
how can you write about death
without first dying

there is no poetic justice
in these once-upon-streets
forever bustling with a sensation
you can no longer describe





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
19 Mar 2024

Friday night recruits


a packed downtown
another Friday night
business as usual
as long as you remain
on the big fat streets
that is inside so-called
boundaries

neon lights abound
the white lights of the theater
the jumbotron flashing outside the
magnificent arena
a touch of coolness courtesy
of a slight breeze

here individuals
become the collective
participants in a cosmic party
—and from up above
from the eyes of drones
you may well be more
than just a cog in the system





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

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
18 Mar 2024
2 Comments

half past new


there was not a chance for rain
but there he was
ambling down third avenue like clockwork
decked out in a three piece suit
and umbrella in hand
(the ladder doubling as a walking stick)
occasionally looking upward at a
limitless blue sky
nary a wisp or puff to be found





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

Posted in In the City, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , ,
17 Mar 2024

of the tools


a vampiric night
dark clouds gathering
like a flock of sheep
covering the hillside

old moon waning
in & out of the parlor
dark clouds gathering
vanquishing the light

the next card drawn
may very well favor
a long lost fortune
discovered inside
dark clouds gathering

long before the sun
the future was wide open
lightning & thunder
ushering in the power
of the tools





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
16 Mar 2024
2 Comments

Back to zero


I was an ordinary man
but somewhere along the line
my status was elevated
w/o my knowledge

As far I’m concerned
November was a long time ago
though long before anyone
had the authority to make me a god

I thought I was stuck
in the 21st Century
but somehow all the clocks
tumbled back to zero

Upon awakening
all alone in the desert
I heard rumblings underneath
resembling war drums
like the ones that once ruled
so-called civilizations





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

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , ,
15 Mar 2024

Disappearing act


I smuggled some spirits
across state lines
tied down in the trunk
of my Honda Civic

Seventeen hours on the road
over a two-day stretch
one rainy & one sunny
the night itself lifeless
like the spirits
locked inside the trunk

From Roanoke to Davenport
it’s hard to say exactly
how many managed
to escape along the way
in the final analysis
the open trunk
a revelation of evaporation





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

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

Subtlety


She walked into the room
a waxing gibbous
with a baby inside
shining brightly
like perpetual hope
as if to say
everyone stop & look
I’ve become the gift bearer

But that was yesterday
her brightness fading
like a silent star
settling into a routine
fit for a Queen
coming changes sublime at best
wild & random thoughts
fading yet still aglow





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

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

lost in the woods


I’ve become lost again
like a little lamb
abandoned
in a nursery rhyme
left to fend for himself
far away from grassy fields
and peoples
of various dreams

It’s not the first time
and mostly likely
not the last
but now there’s
a new feeling
from understanding
I’m not learning
from prior mistakes





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
08 Mar 2024

this too shall pass


something reeks
did somebody leave something on

it could be the wind
bringing in the stench
either from the corn sweetener
or water treatment plant

people stepping out
their front doors
hands on hips
some pointing southeast
others northwest
kind of looking at one another
and shrugging their shoulders

one by one they return
back into their safe zones
mindful that funky bouquets
are usually innocuous





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

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
07 Mar 2024

saturday rain


there’s no time
to dwell on the past
oh how the future
arrives too fast

present day lives
project everyday familiarities
such as falling asleep
in your arms

come morning I awaken
to a beautiful smile
whispering above the drizzle
what shall we do today

you laugh
& softly close your eyes





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
06 Mar 2024

castaways in flux


here we are again
on an uninhabited island
as if characters
in a sociological novel
in the process of being written

you kick up your feet
and everyone else [reflexively]
does the same

on any given day there may be
three or seven or thirteen of us
sitting ‘round the table
the fluctuations a subject of
deliberation
and of course
disbelief

there are no seasons here
making it easy to keep time
due to the sun & moon & tides
only occasionally does someone know
what day it is

the last time there was a quorum
someone proposed
there must be a conduit somewhere
a wormhole if you will
which could very well explain
all the fluctuations
but not our continual presence





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
05 Mar 2024

equilibrium


you can only guess
speculate what comes next

oh yes it’s a guessing game
but there are technical & scientific
components as well
not to mention
common
sense

the past is not any indication
of what comes next
because what comes next
is hideous & beautiful
it’s the worst thing imaginable
it’s the most fantastic invention
it’s like a miracle or a gift
or the unspeakable form of death

yes it’s true the trees are burning
the cattle have no water
and on a daily basis
masses turn into ashes
turn to dust
joining the chorus of the unknown
suddenly privy
to what comes next





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
04 Mar 2024

olive branch


so many things need fixing
the car & the dog
torn jeans & hand written letters
a few personalities housing
certain memories
—and of course always
the tip of the iceberg

I keep an olive branch in the freezer
just in case there’s a thaw
in relations
in case the enemy within
(specifically someone without)
manages to find
their way back home





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment

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