this is all I know
concealed in a poem
like an eternal idea
or a waxing moon
forever drifting further
from mother earth
the eternal idea
residing in a poem
the seas calm
on a moonless night
thoughts drifting
past the firelight
seas remain calm
catamarans adrift
the idea of a poem
turned into dust
chasing a comet’s tail
on a moonless night
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
even with all of the advances
we remain virtually the same
our emotions controlling our actions
be it falling in love or waging war
in nondescript places
habits seem impossible to break
be it religion or sleeping in
night owls constantly devising
early birds wreaking havoc
on your best laid plans
so there you go making room
for the new & maybe improved you
running into newfound friends
[and sworn enemies]
in virtually all the same places
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
at the end and beginning of a constant
forward motion ~ tectonic plates
invisible to the naked eye
one day you imagine you’ll see
how they work in real-time
a front row seat so to speak
keeping the planet’s wheels
spinning literally and figuratively
throwing stones at the sinner
and launching aerials into space
you wish you had bought a ticket
instead burying bodies
not too far from the future
—the insider
the end and beginning
literally
and figuratively
[back to] the future
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the dynasties today
enjoy the technologies
bestowed upon them
—and those bent on ruling
by a clenched fist
turn their pseudo-citizens into
radioactive matter
it matters not what you
can do for your country
now that we’ve become
walking timebombs
repopulating the planet
[by way of decree]
two to three babies at a time
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
this united we stand business
has long gone by the wayside
factions splitting & dividing
by way of simple arithmetic or
asexual science [depending
how you see things]
hypochondriacs are either
mentally and/or physically unwell
incapable of fending themselves
against any creature great or small
extremists resorting to threats
on any given day
more than willing to follow through with them
capitalists & politicians & criminals
work in concert in the background
spawning one conspiracy theory
after the next
worshiping fanatics & lunatics
shoving them into the limelight
all this
as the artists expressively create
interpreting what they care to see
while the historians
sit & wait
for the next piece to fall
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I clear my throat
but am unable to speak
for the words which were meant for you
have grown silent
I try not to wonder where you are
or why you’ve chosen
not to appear in the places
where you are known to gather
try not to put much stock in the fact
that you could be in harm’s way
or in the arms of a lover
every now & then the phone will ring
but I’ve grown accustomed
not to answering it
—it’s just a number I say to myself
and highly unlikely
one of a few I used to know
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I was reading poetry featuring angels
in one form or another
for some reason
they don’t appear to be
as relevant as they used to
whether embedded in the spoken word
or manifested in the latest
and greatest artistry on canvas
spotting one on the street
can be tricky
their divine light & birdlike wings
most likely kept under wraps
whether trailing someone
at the grocery store
or sitting patiently at the local tavern
monitoring a lost soul crying in their beer
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’ve been receiving
messages
that you’re terrified
& you don’t know why
I’ve got this idea
about said messages
& why they come to me
unwittingly
of course
since you’ve been gone
I imagined
you were anything
but terrified
having escaped
one internal war
after another
this idea has to do
with the receiver
that maybe something
is wrong with it
& instead of terrified
you’re actually ecstatic
a newfound constancy
[going on ad nauseum]
ever since electing
to remain silent
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
just because
you’re seeing things
doesn’t mean bad things
are in the offing
the phone rings
& nobody’s there
a reminder of the time
you called a dead man
his voice haunts
you to this day
a larger than life
kind of barreling bravado
daring you sublimely
to leave a message
you tell yourself
what you’re seeing now
has nothing to do
with that voice
& everything to do
with somehow putting
your house in order
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we were in the forest
walking on eggshells
fingers pointing at all the
colorful edibles
off limits this time of the year
decreed by the queen herself
the forest wasn’t petrified
instead shrinking
year over year over year
sand & sea by east
strawberry fields by west
both advancing
slowly but deliberately
—lured by the magical mushrooms
deep inside the forest
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
in the great wide open
cinnamon & rose-colored horses
gather near a natural pier
murmuring to one another
about rebellion
they realize they’re wild
but not free
not like the prevailing winds
which seem to commandeer
the next tempest
subsequent to each run
the herd becomes thinner
the law of attrition
taking its toll
the natural order of things
galloping at high speeds
long past rising
and now in a freefall
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
how can I be homesick
for a place I’ve not set foot upon
like a youngster
I sit & daydream of foreign lands
and open seas
convincing myself I’d been
there in another life
an eighth
or a quarter
or half a world away
the pull itself as familiar
as a knock on the door
at three o’clock in the morning
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
streams are dying up
the rivers receding
winter is coming
should we be worried
missiles are sailing
nukes are on the move
sitting outside
the danger zone
should we be worried
tent cities crop up
accommodating despair
the world revolving
as people flee
what they thought
was their home
destinations unknown
should we be worried
birds and butterflies
migrating southward
before the winter kill
struggling against
prevailing winds
whether natural
or man-made
[should we be worried]
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
nothing comes to mind
as the sun rises undeterred
provoking birdsong
nervous anticipation
and artificial light
the forecast calls
for isolated bombings
and more terrorist attacks
the kitchen radio
unable to locate a station
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is tension
and then it goes away
no explanation
you sit back & look
for a new way in
there has to be a treasure
down there somewhere
you mark the spot in your brain
and you fly away
so many times I’ve been
destroyed
but you always come back
digging me up
from the grave
this world has always been
white & blue & black
the latter near perfect
in its execution
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
death hangs in the balance
like a bat hanging upside down
is it an animal or a human
in disguise
breaking natural laws
in supernatural conventions
undetectable to the human
but not the bat
awakening by signals
inherited from the sun
guided by a waning moon
long forgotten
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 