jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

28 Jan 2025

going mobile


we said we were gonna build
ourselves a little castle
—from scratch we said
it would take a long time
but it would be worth it

so we got married & went to work
the foundation itself
taking a good couple years
complete with eight axles
& sixteen semi-truck tires

by the time we celebrated
our fifth anniversary the little castle
was out of this world & fully functional
—and oh yes
wonderfully mobile


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
27 Jan 2025

Aftermath


I don’t belong here
where the skies have been crying
longer than a fortnight
and the birds of the air
have all but disappeared
their morning songs
but a distant memory

The once vibrant town has turned
into a populace of grey ghosts
roaming directionless
an aftermath of fire & brimstone
unleashed on the innocent
by someone or something
with an unknown agenda

I don’t belong here
where there is no mercy
where those I once cherished
have turned their backs
& walked away without explanation
leaving the world I once knew
barely recognizable


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
26 Jan 2025
3 Comments

third eye creation


three grapefruit
two apples
one pear

I sit in silence
pretending they are not
placed inside
a wicker basket
atop the kitchen counter

I relax & close my eyes
visualizing them via
my sixth chakra
silently repeating the chant
until the still life
becomes a painting
hanging on the wall
behind me


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
25 Jan 2025

old-school reality


the reckoning has returned
gnawing away noisily
at lies & truths
like crows on a carcass
coming & going & returning
for as long as it takes
before becoming nothing more
than a past idea
an overflow of dying thoughts
replaced by lessons
in obedience
—the beginnings of a
new kind of old-school reality


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in History, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
24 Jan 2025

nineteen forty-seven


precision lightning strikes
brought down the aircraft
& their alien pilots seventy-
five miles north of roswell

the story was released
to the press as the truth
only to be redacted
by the military the next day

and that ladies & gentlemen
is how conspiracy theories
are born & perpetuated
via eerily mysterious reasons


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Poetry and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
23 Jan 2025

rise & fall like anything else


I did not come here
to become your slave
though now finding myself
subjected to your mandate

you free the guilty
imprison the just
counter revolution
arriving at your front door

what wouldn’t you do
to save your own soul
once cornered & afraid
rejected by your soul mate


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
22 Jan 2025

the curious pool


time slips into a pool
of a nondescript stream
eddying unperceptively
to the untrained eye

how far below the surface
could the curious pool possibly go

there is one way to find out
and that way may be the only way
to never be seen again


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
21 Jan 2025

a study on progress


it can’t be stopped
except by total annihilation
and even then
maybe not

death is the epitome of the definition
no matter how you look at it
wave after wave
contributing to the grand scheme of things
but when it happens
right there in your own backyard
it mainly gives you a perspective
you’ve probably always had

the universe is less random
than may appear in the side view mirror
but then again
just about anything
could blow up at anytime


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
20 Jan 2025

Eye of the needle


Nobody thought it could be done
but by the time I was destined
to enter the fifth dimension
I found myself passing through
the eye of the needle


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
19 Jan 2025
3 Comments

Homecoming


In what ways
have you been transported
out of this plane
your body buried deep at sea
your mind & spirit
traversing the heavens
in search of affinity
from which you came

What songs will the angels sing
upon your arrival
a welcoming refrain of exaltation
though many will say
you never left their glorious realm
in the first place


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
18 Jan 2025
2 Comments

Big Rock, Iowa


Wheatland to Big Rock to Dixon
and before you know it
I’m back in Scott County
—my old stomping grounds

Old Big Rock though
is one big mystery
no Post Office or cafe
or any business to speak of
one church & a few houses
situated here & there
but most importantly
not a single solitary boulder
to be spotted anywhere


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , ,
17 Jan 2025

Leviathan


Once we put snow tires
on the old beat-up Cadillac
she suddenly turned into a Leviathan
tearing through the elevated city


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
16 Jan 2025

the clairvoyant dreamer


word got out I could see
killers in my dreams
the ones making headlines
the next day or week
month or year

I tried keeping it low key
but somehow word got out
and I often found myself
talking with strangers

one day a private eye
and sketch artist paid me a visit
asked me what I knew
about the back-alley axeman

after the eyes & hairline
had been perfected
the ears & nose & wrinkles
tweaked until just right
within a few hours they had their man
both on paper & in person


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
15 Jan 2025

operation deep plunge


vast fortunes
buried deep at sea

alien forces
performing clandestine
nonstop operations

night by night
planet earth
routinely becoming
a little less valuable


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
14 Jan 2025
2 Comments

day visit


it’s supposed to snow
the old man went on to say
yes I know I replied
looking out the sliding glass door
at the frosty grass sparkling
from the midday sun

there was a light dusting
from the night before
but apparently
that doesn’t count

it’s a nice day
he went on to say
but too cold to my liking
a subtle reminder
why I should be somewhere
much much warmer


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
13 Jan 2025

three wishes


no matter where you look
there’s a lot pressure
cast down from the heavens
to the planet earth
playing havoc with the weather
by all means imaginable
bursting bubbles
and causing flat tires
leaving those with unmet deadlines
pulling their hair out
wishing they had one last wish


january two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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

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