jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

08 Sep 2023

slow burn


I’ve been reading old letters by day
& burning bridges by night
—it never ceases to amaze me
what triggers motivation
whether it’s active
or passive aggression

I was taught early on
the act of doing
and the thought of doing
are one in the same
a concept difficult to grasp
unless of course
you’re some sort of child prodigy

eventually there’ll be no more
letters to read
no more bridges to cross
—eventually the fire
that is the sun
will burn low





september two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
07 Sep 2023

burying the past


everything is for sale
for pennies on the dollar
everything that is
except for my deathbed

not sleeping much anymore
thus busy listing things
on various outlets
letting go of the past
two or three items at a time

there is no endgame in sight
simply an exercise
to bury the past
hoping to rise again
in some old familiar form





september two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
06 Sep 2023
6 Comments

five in the morning


our politicians have failed us
that’s what’s in my head
as I go jogging one early morning
in a city I’ve never been
[until the night before]

I couldn’t sleep
maybe it was the jet lag
maybe it was all the worries
inside my mind

it shouldn’t be like this I say
as I race along the river lee
a heavy mist blanketing
the surroundings
a heavy heart inside my body
beating 128 times per minute

I tell myself today will be different
I will find a way not to count
all the chickens before they’re hatched

everything seems to be a circle
I’m telling myself
as I walk briskly on the path
the rear of the hotel coming into view
fishermen along the river
undoubtedly living in the moment





september two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Fishing, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , ,
05 Sep 2023

the year of the rabbit


how far back can you reach
is there a rabbit there
under your hat
or are they afraid
to even show themselves

it was supposed to be
a peaceful year
but certain powers that be
made damn sure
it wasn’t in the cards

and now the world
is once again
being bombed to death
—once optimistic rabbits
dig deeper into their holes





september two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
04 Sep 2023

working the jumble


I kind of had this idea
—an inkling if you will
but the heatwave
took it away just like that

I snap my fingers
it’s the only sound I hear
maybe that’s the idea
the snapping of the fingers
something easily taught

once you get the snapping
going things seem to
magically germinate
soon you’re making up words
tossing them about

it’s like juggling I suppose
maybe that’s the idea
juggling words like a clown
spinning around
never allowing them
to fall to the ground





september two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
03 Sep 2023
6 Comments

what sorrow is this


what sorrow is this
that sings me to sleep
on a moonless night
a gentle breeze stirring
the white curtains
brushing my check

what sorrow is this
that dreams inside me
sending me to places
foreign & soulful
two moons in the sky
guiding me to the sea

what sorrow is this
that speaks to me
without saying a word
teaching me to grieve
in a silent manner
teaching me to laugh (again)
when the time is right





september two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , ,
02 Sep 2023

until we meet again


I am not accustomed
to being me
which is precisely why
I want to be you

do you know
where I’m going
or where I’ve been
if so you are at least
one step ahead of the rest

I keep thinking
we should be running
either side by side
or in opposite directions
—and if the ladder be true
it’s only a matter of time
until we logically collide





september two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
01 Sep 2023

loving thy neighbor


of course there’s a hidden planet
inside our solar system
most likely the opposite of earth
—red & purple & black & orange
populated by peaceful loving creatures
who go about their business
without polluting the air or water or land
without needing to document
a list of things one shouldn’t do
especially unto others





september two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
31 Aug 2023

on international waters


battling winds & tide
we do not need a new enemy
one leaving us w/real-time bruises
flashbacks refusing
to fade away

we live to fish & survive
not to defend saltwater territory
by raising arms or clenching fists
provoked into protecting
what is rightfully ours





august two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Fishing, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
30 Aug 2023

a personal assault at high noon


it was like any other day
the sun rising in the east
a blackbird on the second
story windowsill
pretending to be a rooster

and so I awakened
& rose to my feet
prepared to dare as I also do
going through the motions
(as they say)
early morning until noon

it was then my pulse
began to race
the watch on my wrist
telling me so
beating ninety times per minute
then one hundred
one ten
one twenty
and so on & so forth

dormant memories appeared
out of nowhere
visions before my very eyes
—I reached out my hands
to grasp them
to press them against my beating heart
but they proved to be as fleeting
as life itself
and quickly vanished
into thin air





august two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
29 Aug 2023

Self-examining the scars


I was told I was born with wings
but my parents had them
surgically removed

They could not have been my parents
I tell myself some thirty years later
addressing the naked truth in front
of a full length mirror
turning one shoulder in
while straining my neck sideways
turning the other shoulder similarly
straining my neck
the other way





august two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
28 Aug 2023
2 Comments

angels in the bay


I’m not where I think I am
having left my body
due to a medical event

doctors & nurses
respond frantically
putting into practice their craft
someone shouting
code blue code blue code blue

a strange sounding siren
weaves through the hallways
those trained to run
moving swiftly
purposefully

by the time they arrive
I’ve entered the tunnel
swimming toward the lighthouse
a beacon of hope I believe
a row boat coming into view

denying my entry into their vessel
the boaters demand I reverse
my course
the light around us
suddenly extinguishing
—I turn & pause & begin to swim
back to where I started





august two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
27 Aug 2023

unshakable


I can’t seem to shake her
anywhere I go
by land or by air or by sea
always on my tail
like a puppy or a shadow
an unshakable soul

I am rarely lost
but often found
hanging out at the shoreline
breathing in the promise
of an unmistakable
tomorrow

come morning you will be here
like a blue moon
in the making
once upon a time thin
as a wafer
relentless & unwavering





august two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
26 Aug 2023

who you been reading


people ask me
who you reading these days
and I say exes
you know
formally known as tweets

no seriously the people reply
what authors are you into
—like you know
who you been reading

I’ve been reading exes mostly I say
things like micropoems
and very short stories
captions of really cool paintings
or photographs of birds & mountains
streams & rivers & oceans
or just about anything
that pops into your mind

with no further questions
I begin to believe
the people don’t really like me
making me start to think
maybe I should write a slightly
nasty poem about them





august two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
25 Aug 2023

another friday night


splintered & in many parts
broken
this place will never be the same
jokers pretending to be leaders
unconcerned
w/wants & needs
other than their own

market after dark
is alive & well on a friday night
city blocks partitioned off
swarms of ethnicities
circulating
innocently commingling
the far majority like innocent lambs
though a number carrying

it doesn’t have to be like this
social gatherings becoming
bloodbaths
microphones in the city square
politicians
displaying their wares
stoking fear & discontent





august two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
24 Aug 2023

Post dystopia


My people call your people
next thing I know
I’m back on the streets
parading down the boulevard
w/a big dog named Bella
I borrowed from a stranger

The sun shines brightly
positioned at twelve o’clock
strangers casting words my way
shouting out random thoughts
some asking where you going baby?
everywhere I say
everywhere

The streets have never been safer
ever since a miracle wave
swept away all the terrible people
some saying it was the work
of badass angels
either that or a band
of alien collectives





august two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →