jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

16 Apr 2023

a fading introspection


I was a little kid not that long ago
learning how to read & write
in a parochial school my mother
yanked me out of after a year

[it marked the beginning
of my renegade ways]

fake news didn’t exist back then
but corporal punishment sure did
my father into pabst blue ribbon beer
walter cronkite & tricky dick
totally against creative free spirits
changing reality one media at a time

in retrospect the course of events
became pretty much obvious
the defining turning points
all possessing
a familiar denomination
one in which
I’ve weaved & bobbed though
currently in the process
of stitching back together





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

Posted in History, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
15 Apr 2023

caught in the rain


in the back of my mind
it is pouring down rain
awakening me from my slumber
early sunday morning

I imagine the cat is clawing
at the front door
her spatial memory convinced
this is how it magically opens

in the back of my mind
there is thunder & lightning
electrifying my hippocampus
and bringing me to my feet

the cat is at the front door
incapable of comprehending
the shiny button next to the handle
is the key to the next life





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
14 Apr 2023
2 Comments

repeating the round trip


when I was born I had no idea
the world population
totaled north of three billion

every single one of them
came NOT from the stork
but from the stars

that’s what they mean
when they say a star is born

today the world population
is approaching eight billion
affirming the fact that indeed
the universe is expanding

I’ve since learned star factories
exist throughout the multiverse
[or maybe I’ve known all along]
& I imagine
I’ll be returning back to one of them
on any given monday





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

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
13 Apr 2023
2 Comments

a sheltered life


my grandfather aka pop
snuck into my dream
alive on his deathbed
in kewanee illinois

I’d not seen him
for fifty-four years

he looked remarkably well
except for his teeth
which were wooden
& painted white

two siblings followed me
sneaking through a back door
at the hospital
climbing staircases the public
didn’t know existed
racing through hallways
like cartoon characters

finally finding him
he was wide awake
looking as healthy as an ox

seeing him reminded me
of the pile of leaves
I’d fall into from the sturdy bough
the straw hat he gifted me
pepper the parakeet
heat-seeking his shoulder

though he was dead
after all these years
he was evidently happy
I’d brought him back to life
at least temporarily





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

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , ,
12 Apr 2023

Bloody Sunday


Now that lent was over
I could get back on with my life
& my sinful ways

Habits & wishlists
have changed dramatically
over the years
but I tell people I’m pretty much
the same as I’ve always been

I don’t go to Easter Mass anymore
mainly to avoid the crowds
& their seemingly good intentions

After brunch
I retrieved my stash
that was miraculously untouched
for forty days & forty nights

As for dessert I mixed myself
a Bloody Mary garnished w/the works
found a quiet place away
from all the noise
& enjoyed a bit of an old staple
called hashish under glass





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

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
11 Apr 2023
2 Comments

at the mercy of the wind


nothing is in unison
the changing of the guard
but a mess
w/o the guards themselves
an old man in the corner
playing solitaire like all the others
the clouds above moving fast
& changing like a chameleon

somebody shouts
nothing is what it seems
rearranging the order of things
commanding by way of whistle
shuffling tireless sheep
to the other side of the fence
ordering gas powered machines
to cease & desist

outside the city limits
the river is green & forest red
the drums of war
bombinating for weeks on end
blending in w/the scenery
advancing & retreating
like a wayward worker bee
at the mercy of the wind





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

Posted in In the City, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , ,
10 Apr 2023

powerless


it is not unbelievable
what you see before your eyes
on the one hand
there will always be abominations
and on the other
unfathomable beauty

where you walk
is what casts your lot
and while some may never see
the goodness of a collective
or the miracles of nature
or the grace of angels
most will find themselves incapable
of inflicting change
where it is needed the most





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

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
09 Apr 2023

left on the side of the road


hey are you okay
yeah I think so
would you say if you weren’t
probably not

you’ve been talking to yourself again
what do you mean
like in my sleep
no you scream in your sleep

that’s funny
reminds me of the time [long ago]
I couldn’t find my car the next day

yeah I remember
what about it she says
idk I say
not much has changed since then





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
08 Apr 2023

lady in red


the stage is set
all the players in place
the guns go off
off they go running
right out of the gate

the powers above
picking & choosing
the ones who live
all the others dead
or downright dying

destroyed this time
by hyper-dynamite
the stage is reset
players back in place
appropriately
dress in red





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

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , | Leave a comment
07 Apr 2023
2 Comments

chicken & egg


foot tapping
one two three four five
meditating
for good measure
incubating ideas
germinated long ago

the big cheese
stolen in broad daylight
a pack of blind mice
drawing straws
contemplating
mass murdering

the hash pipe
always out of sight
in a shoe
an ashtray
the junkiest of drawers
in the kitchen

getting closer
warmer then colder
back & forth
tile or carpet or wood
the hatching
a surprise ending





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

Posted in Animals, Birds, Poetry and tagged , , ,
06 Apr 2023

meaningless concepts


your mother has brown skin
mine has none

your brother looks like me
[but you]
you look like no one else

your mother
she has amazing skin
sometimes a complete blur
dancing circles in the falling rain

your sister’s a younger version
[of you know who]
as independent as they come
working on dance moves
of her very own

your mother has brown skin
and mine has none





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
05 Apr 2023

Last Supper


I thought it was Good Friday
so I pulled a Cod filet from the freezer
leaving it to thaw in the strainer

Once at room temperature
I thought I would soak it in a mixture
of Amber Ale & a scrambled egg
coat it w/crumbled Frosted Flakes

I imagined I would pan sear it
in Olive Oil & a pat of butter
serve it w/a chunk of homemade bread

It was supposed to be my Last Supper
but for whatever reason
I don’t remember a Goddamn Thing





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
04 Apr 2023
2 Comments

pistols at dawn


plastic or aluminum
in any shape or form
the various guns
these little ones carry
are temporarily bulletless
[at least for the moment]
like a thumb & forefinger
positioned & poised
in some stylish manner

—they later find
themselves safely abed
curled into the fetal position
warmly dreaming of
pistols at dawn





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
03 Apr 2023

artistic criminal


I was the little one
maybe the runt
wide awake
[while the others slept]
painting the walls

there was no need for brushes
as long as I had two hands
& eight fingers
no need for interpretation
as long as the walls
were well lit

by the time the sun
started showing herself
I was nowhere to be found
—which of course was when
all the fun began





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

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
02 Apr 2023

me & familiarity


I’m less than I’ve ever been
an exercise of existence
after reading how german is it

hearing they bought & sold you
I quickly crossed the border
leaving way too many things behind

this new place isn’t so bad
[or so they keep telling me]
placating me with promises
plying me with
mind-altering substances
intelligently keeping me
one to three moves behind





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

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

test crash copilot


in the passenger seat
clicking the present tense
mile after endless mile

history in the rearview
passing me by in real time
random projections traveling
at ninety miles per hour

at this speed I imagine
I’ll shortly reach my destination
the one mapped out at birth
according to the universe





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

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

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