there I was in this movie
adapted from a novel
written in the previous century
having been lost in the city
along with a thousand other souls
marching away from the tourist district
and into a new kind of reality
of course I had no name
was not even a minor character
and received no credit
but there I was lost in the pages
from a lifetime ago
only to be projected onto the screen
for all the world to see
august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
tied to the tracks
the rabbits never had a chance
if the train didn’t do them in
the fire certainly would
rampaging uncontrolled
throughout the wild wild west
they had family
spread throughout the valley
there was a sliver of hope
tied to the tracks
these sisters in arms
calling upon the september rain
years have passed
since the last train arrived
the next one expected
to barrel in like a fireball
wiping out everything in its path
tied to the tracks or otherwise
august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
7
I remember we were inside
looking out
quite the difference
from the days before when everything
seemed so chaotic
the whirling of the winds
the scorching heat
& the freezing rains
I remember telling myself
believe it or not
this place is most hospitable
6
lions & tigers
pitted against a she bear
& her cubs
humans wearing animal hides
predators looking to kill
real time contests in coliseums
much later played out
in fields of dreams
5
flying fish
and sea urchins
olly olly oxen free
show your face miss nellie
for all the world to see
4
who wants to sing to the moon
and pray to the sun
who wants to watch the stars
falling from the sky
children let loose with their mason jars
running as hard as they can
and cheering as loud as can be
collecting souvenirs one by one
3
we’ve been planting new things
each & every fall & spring
bulbs & seeds & saplings
bushes & shrubs & butterfly weed
and in the winter months
sunflower seeds await in the dark
in the cupboard
dreaming of being scattered
2
I keep telling the youngsters
soon you will see
your very first rainbow
and then you will understand
there is more to life than color
1
in the beginning
there was a flashlight
powered by sunlight
and we were under the covers
flipping the latest comic book
whispering & laughing
but not too loudly
august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there’s nothing to do here
all the windows need cleaning
looking out
past the tree tops
the sky is blue & red & green
the circus is in town
or is it the carnival
on saturday the farmer’s market
arrives downtown
it’s kind of like a moveable feast
or so I tell people
and mostly a waste of my precious time
there’s nothing to do here
don’t bother coming
paradise left back in the late sixties
now there’s just a bunch of nothing
going on
I can personally testify
the ballclub from fort wayne
rolled into town last night
I heard they’ll probably kick our ass
to boot some sort of pop rock band
is playing at sundown
at the outdoor amphitheater
I’m sure the place will be packed
august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she’s not watching the game
cold beer in her glove hand
new beau on her left
small device streaming
atop crossed knee
he’s keeping score in his head
far behind on the conversation
hesitating how to record
a balk or the stealing of first base
there is mass exhilaration
when the whole place erupts
by way of a grand salami
suddenly they find themselves
deep in the crosshairs
august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Somewhere along the line you
lost the anger
that which had defined you
for far too many years
inherited no doubt from both
sides of the family
like a metamorphic rock with a
deep cut that may never go away
But somehow anger left you
as if you had some sort of
spectacular surgery
or perhaps due to recent vaccinations
now toying with your DNA
like a genius child does
maskless & sublimely suggesting
next up is a trip to the moon
august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
playing god it’s what we do best
trying on three piece suits
jumpsuits or hazmat suits
the only door was well secure
nobody in or out without a godpass
but the one casement window
nobody really paid attention to
what comes in or what goes out
is rarely one in the same
mixing apples with oranges
or jackrabbits with flying squirrels
as if to say there’s nothing left to lose
august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
night after night
they’re knocking down doors
and taking away dreams
it’s in your best interest
to turn back the clock & stop
sleeping in your own bed
what they put in your body
is anyone’s guess
how you push it back out
is another story
it may be more dangerous
by land or air or sea
[or so the inner voice tells you]
seriously contemplating
disappearing entirely
august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
this is not personal
at some point
I’ll have to explain to my children
how you cannot choose your family
of course they’ll already know this
when the time comes
[or so they will say]
most of us carrying on
as if nothing had ever happened
they come & go & return as they please
mostly triumphantly
but every once in a while
like a battered boomerang
there are these marks on my skin
I’ve accumulated over the years
each one a story unto themselves
I seldom grow weary of telling
at some point they’ll apologize
for no good reason
and I’ll remind them how most things
usually come around
august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I heard her calling
her original song
had no idea the direction
from which it arrived
this was back when far from blind
when I didn’t need my fingers
to feel every note
staying behind the brush
pretending not to exist
the trees are taller
than they’ve ever been
this I am certain without seeing
and the music from within
I now know by heart
having always been there
since before the beginning of time
august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the classroom is full but none
are allowed to raise their hand
and if you did well
that would be the end of that
outside the windows
the children can see a soccer field
and ball diamond
brand new colorful playground equipment
that none are allowed to use
day by day
and hour by hour
the microcosm’s adult population
continues to diminish
while the artificial intelligence
implanted into its youthful citizenry
continues to grow
august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
self medicating may be the answer
adding honey & cayenne pepper
into a pot of simmering simplicity
starting with an exotic bone broth
add in a couple metamorphic rocks
and walk away for a day or two
while you’re away the remaining
ingredients will add themselves
like missionaries jumping into the fray
august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I thought it was a dream
how I woke one morning & hiked
through the thirteen acre wood
the smell of some sort of metal
a slight but persistent taste on my tongue
guiding me closer to the crash site
an alien craft took out a ticket of hackberry trees
a quarter of the stern stuck
inside the earth
the bow pointing skyward at a
forty-five degree angle
its silver coating sparkling from
the nine o’clock sun
I took photo after photo on my iphone
attempting but unable to find
a window or door or escape hatch
leading me to believe
there is only one way to get in or out
august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the river is low & the tomatoes are green
and the valley is thirsty for rain
what did you say I was not listening
for you see there is only fire in the sky
and I am unable to look away
I don’t know about you
but I can’t explain a single thing
happening on these populated streets
and once the sun fades away
the heart rate may slow down
though none of this magically disappears
from the beginning the river was low
before the prophets awoke from their sleep
august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
here we remain at an impassable place
a sheet of glass preventing us
from moving forward
as if we’ve become prisoners
without a sentence
unaware that the trap was devised
by an otherworldly hand
having lost our wings
we remain very much alive
recalculating & redistributing
the wealth of knowledge
to the very best in their fields
who expeditiously formulate
that which will burn through glass
july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
another first night out
a series of dates
that stop & start over a lifetime
some of them shorter
and some longer
most of them likely
in-betweeners
the angle of the sun
doesn’t scare me
but unlike the drama of the moon
any & all changes are
noticeably subtle
[if I think about it for far too long
I gradually become someone else]
life is a series of choices
more often than not
leaving you without options
but it’s those times
that they do
that will ultimately define you
july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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