I picked up all my things
from the earth & air
wrapped them
inside a blanket
using a broomstick
to lift the bundle
off the ground
& over my shoulder
just like a bonafide hobo
april two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Admitting I was a fool
is no big deal
especially while sitting
on a front porch w/a cold one
—occasional waves at familiar
faces & happy tail wags
Smiling outwardly
I mostly reminisce on the inside
secretly admiring
all the impossible hands
I’ve managed to play
—and ultimately lost
april two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
When people learn
to think for themselves
Authority becomes
unnecessary
What’s happened once
upon a time has vanished
—nonexistent even in
any grand scheme
At some point Truth becomes
the only Authority
at which time the Heavens
will certainly collapse
april two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
sitting out back
in our adirondack chairs
a southern breeze
keeping the evening warmish
enjoying cocktails of our
own choosing
we watch planes land
from every which way
that one there
she points toward the east
at a multicolored fat-bellied bird
its landing gear already down
imagine if you will
all the passengers are a
bunch of little piggies
like from the fab four’s white album
all of them civilized and
speaking perfect english
okay yeah I say halfheartedly
I’ll bite on your silly premise
is it just me or is there not
a chance in hell
any of the little piggies
—even the ones
in their starched white shirts
will pass through customs
april two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I used to put my money
where my mouth is
but once it all
eventually ran its course
I found myself
back in the soup line
Back when it was raining
I’d offer an umbrella
but those times have long
since vanished
and now I find myself
soaked from head to toe
Never once did I believe
I’d ever live in the future
but here I am again
a man without a country
image in dirty windowpane
barely recognizable
april two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
someday I’m gonna give
it all away—
everything I got
—kind of like a monk
but only different
I can’t ever see
shaving off all my hair
but growing out
my beard—now that’s maybe
something I could try
I’ve been thinking
about colors
how I’ve always said
green is my favorite
but as of late
—and for whatever reason
I can’t seen to get all the blues
off of my mind
march two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
cast to the shadow’s edge
alive but unseen
my voice silenced
by an enemy within
I once walked hand in hand
with golden familiarity
loved ones always nearby
in person or metaphysically
my old world kidnapped
and held for ransom
stars within the shadow’s edge
imaginary & unblinking
march two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
southwestern sandstorms
spinning & twisting
transporting sacred ground
high into the heavens
as if to appease
a hungry god
unsuspecting clouds
become sated by earth & essence
drifting north by northeast
gaining strength along the way
like a waxing gibbous
about to explode
march two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
dementia may not be such a bad thing
especially from the inside
most questions become answered
though quickly enter the ether as unanswerable
—as if congealing into indifference
refrigerator door
& kitchen corner counter
well they’re mainly message boards now
[inside a wireless house]
acting as magnets for eyes passing by
—appointments & reminders
written in an all too familiar cursive
the day & date can always be found
in the the recycle bin in the garage
—yet another focal point
so many afternoons can be found
sitting on the familiar recliner
messing with the old tape recorder
pausing & playing [but not really listening]
rewinding & fast forwarding
—and vice versa
hoping to find that one sweet spot
sometime back in the roaring nineties
march two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
no one expects
to get out of practice
in such a hurry
the nature of the unknown
such a capricious thing
appearing out of nowhere
unannounced
& uncaring
above all unemotional
while displacements
may be planned
many are not
making you bend at the knee
forced to test your patience
& resolve to make
something out of nothing
march two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’ve been working on my breathing
—or more specifically
depriving my body of oxygen
now & then throughout
the course of the day
something I’ve determined
should give me a competitive edge
in the long run
march two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
now with winter in the rearview
it’s time to open
the second story windows
for the very last time
I always imagined I’d miss this place
but it seems the preparations
have been ongoing for so long
it’s simply not the case
think of a loved one
who’d been in the final stages of life
for weeks or months
or possibly years
that when the time finally arrived
it was as if a warm & lasting relief
somehow superseded
grief or regret
march two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s not a matter of what you think
you deserve or don’t deserve
or whether or not everything is
fair in love & war
or if karma is only something
that’s imagined
oh no at this stage the only thing
that seems to matter
is how you’ll carry on once everything
you ever cared about
has been systematically taken
away from you
march two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
just love wearing my brand new
eggshell white t-shirt
—big black bold letters saying
‘hey (hey) you (you)
get off of my cloud’
last night’s storms
never did quite roll out of town
instead hung around
like a tiresome echo in the mind
making it entirely impossible
for any mere mortal
to hop on my improbable
yet temporary dark cloud
march two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
sometimes the rules change
without your knowledge
and the next thing you know
you’re living a similar life
inside an alternative universe
as time progresses unchecked
you arrive at the realization
that what occurred in the past
has no relevance here
in this place without any rules
march two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I walk alone
wirelessly
bone conduction
headphones
blaring angst
—like an american idiot
with nothing left
to ignore
but his very self
march two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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