what’s lost in translation
is the simple definition
of unconditional love
how it can never die
—at times with barely a heartbeat
can never be destroyed
not even in the face
of the fiercest conflagration
march two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Mother Mary
why have you slipped
past the shadows
your once comforting voice
now a deafening silence
my calls for your
undivided attention
go unheeded
Now I find myself
wandering the fringes
of my own imagination
where iniquity
is free to roam
and the innocence
of my creation
drowns in isolation
february two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
in the absence of the sun
we keep warm in ways
never before imagined
keeping the fire going overnight
requires non-stop singing
and caffeinated beverages
come daybreak the village collectively
participates in the power of prayer
believing that by doing so
one day the sun-god will return
to its once prominent glory
february two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
autumn came & went hastily
chasing shadow-like ghosts
into the night
retreating into the dead of winter
once underground
the air became tolerable
inner workings quietly expanding
like a spiderweb in the rafters
the first signs of spring
would arrive later than usual
the missiles & the drones
silencing bird calls
canceling once promising rains
january two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
how many times
had it been bombed & rebuilt
—what was so special
about this place
that even their ghosts
[time & again]
would rise to the occasion
refusing to be launched
like a rocket into the sky
well beyond the ether
october two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the moment you start looking back
and analyzing every misstep
chances are you are not where
you want to be
and all the hopeless wishing in the world
will leave you even more wretched
consider the beauty of the butterfly
and ask yourself if your life isn’t worth
just as much
and maybe then you will understand
moving forward is the only option
with or without a migration map
june two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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