everything was calm
before the winds arrived
having traveled
from faraway places
bringing with it
hearsay & innuendo
and a little bit of destruction
whatever it was it didn’t
last long
and days later it seemed
as if nothing had happened
seemed as if
what was left behind
had been here all along
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
O! god of sea & air
how you lure me to the coast
breathing in your aura
permeating throughout
the here & now
O! it’s not too late
it’s never too late
slowly repairing the damage
inflicted by the excesses
of the city
O! god of sea & air
how your calling teaches me
wave after wave (after wave)
full moon arising
the night forever young
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
mahogany skull made for two
handbuilt over a lunar cycle
docked at the river’s edge
crescent moon rises mid-morning
the boat made for two
crossing still waters to intersect
with the satellite
reeling her into the boat
—bringing my love back home
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
nobody knows how he does it
so they forget it & move on
it’s no news saturday
one day a week set aside for peace
you pick up the phone
and say nope
you put it back down
nature always works
always in the background
saying look at me
hike on my spine
use my arms to clear a path
my legs to keep you going
nobody knows how he does it
he’s just a freak of nature
saturdays come & go
and in between
well we’d rather not talk about it
how the weather channel was wrong
how the hostage situation
keeps getting worse
in the dining room teenagers
are playing the board game RISK
one of them eventually
dominates the entire world
vows to usher in the next chapter
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
think of the spider
industrious & unafraid
like a thief in the night
breaking & entering at will
leaving not a trace behind
that cobweb in the corner ceiling
now that’s a piece of art
snap it w/your iPhone
turn perfection into a tidy profit
courtesy of nonfungible token
of course the female
is the brains of the operation
birthing hundreds if not thousands
in one fell swoop
her counterpart [on the other hand]
a bit of a dufus
racing across a wooden floor
or swinging from the chandelier
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
sequestered from the noise
I’ve burrowed myself
deep underground
proceeded to build a home
among the rock & critters & roots
day by day the place
becomes more elaborate
having managed to harness
the break of dawn
& manipulate the waxing moon
on the walls I recorded
the art of isolation
a fairly accurate account
of my life & times
before & after the destruction
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
tell me who is happy
at least those in the know
or even the ones wearing
rose-colored glasses
I understand many angels
have descended
where the bombings
are the heaviest
mending their own wings
while tending to casualties
—how dare the rest of us grow old
witnessing the powers within
[in the meantime]
peace loving people
are handcuffed & blindfolded
{many left for dead
& therefore the angels}
held hostage & violated
by way of a broken world
and empty promises
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
sometimes if I stare long enough
at the blank screen
words will start to appear
all on their own
as if an alien scribe successfully
cracked the code
suddenly capable of sending
messages of peace & prosperity
right before my very eyes
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there was a guarded optimism
afloat but unseen in the air
like a vague sense of security
that’s inherited by nature
but unheard from for ages
perhaps dormant
aching to be stirred
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
making toys out of wood
glue & brads & paint
shaping tools to cut & sand
drill & screw & shave
rows & rows of tiny workshops
inside giant warehouse
one creative per station
specialized in their craft
meanwhile the boss
peruses list after list after list
teleconnects updated orders
directly to his worker bees
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
so I started this poem
before I fell asleep last night
rearranging the words
in such a way
[trying to convince myself]
I wouldn’t forget them
come morning
but guess what
birdsong woke me up
long after the alarm
& there I lay
the world passing me by
eyes blinking
quickly catching up
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
you bring me closer to a reality
I didn’t know existed
not until you came into my life
I am like a child again
unable to process my own convictions
instead relying on your godlike
intelligence to show the way
there is a door
and you open it (for me)
there I appear like clockwork
walking through it
giving thanks as I do
to your magical powers
lead me lead me lead me
show me the path of righteousness
and deliver unto me your ways
if you tell me to love
then I will love
if you tell me to hate
I will hate
if you tell me to go to war
to war I will go
and never look back
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
you breathe easy
you breathe hard
it’s more than just a fine line
what just ran through my mind
a mouse or a sparrow
or a fine white line
you better check on the old ones
and the young ones
they can’t keep after themselves
they keep chasing things
things only they can see
in the backyard
there is a house in the ash tree
neighbor kids climb and get in
—are never seen again
police at front door
issues citation using invisible ink
we offer them sweet tea
and a scotcheroo
but they say no thanks
they gotta go
ask us to keep an eye open
meanwhile we breathe easy
and we breathe hard
one day there is six of us
the next day only five
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
he couldn’t stop looking at
her microchipped eyes
near perfect
like a purple diamond
of course she was smartly
dressed [again]
sporting an accessory
around the neck
another on the right ankle
(otherwise untouched)
her eyes looking upward
and to the right
back in the day
she used to look his way
long before anyone knew her
before fame & fortune
was her new reality
—leaving him alone in the city
walking the streets
& gazing
past storefront windows
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there was a sign of hope
amidst the ongoing trauma of war
was it the sunshine after weeks of rain
or a small flock of white doves
appearing out of nowhere
flying across the battlefield
or was it as simple as a small child
snapping off a branch from the olive tree
there were invisible badges of honor
pinned to the soldiers that perished
ambushed & incapable of defending themselves
some say they were cowards
others say martyrs
the supermajority calling them victims
or their own leaders
regardless
the invisible war intensified & the price paid
was incalculable
unseen or unheard
by the beachgoers & the firefly chasers
impatiently searching for some kind of hope
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I wasn’t planning on going to the beach
but I was getting ever closer
in the two-door civic
downshifting into second
and coasting into the parking lot
it was a cool day
especially here this time of year
the sun attempting to unlock the clouds
with its skeleton key
I removed my sneakers
and rolled up my blue jeans just below
my knees
hobbled to the sandy trail
that rose and fell into the white sands
lovers of the sea
of all shapes & sizes & ages
scattered up & down
and near & far
there were no swimmers or surfers
just a few waders
walking along the last of the waves
and I proceeded to do the same
the tops of my feet slowly turning blue
reminding me of my age
and the infrequency
of such impulsive adventures
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 