I was collecting rocks
outside the outer perimeter
humming along ‘californication’
and randomly selecting
which ones go in the satchel
and which ones get booted
I was on a solitary mission
assigned by a power
I imagined existed
and when I returned to base
with only the best samples
I was rewarded handsomely
april two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there were four of them
marching down the sidewalk
a band of brothers and sisters
as if on a mission from god
it was quitting time and I was
getting into my car as they
were swiftly approaching
to get a closer look
I used my rear view mirror
and then directly outside my window
as they passed by excitedly
they were talking to one another
laughing and smiling and seemingly
unconcerned about privacy
though I somehow understood
every single word they said
their demeanor and inclinations
told me they must be aliens
and before they made it to the corner
their aura pixelated and dissipated
like a mysterious fog quickly lifting
june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there was dancing down by the river
or so we thought we heard something
streaming on the radio
either that or it was a just a feeling
by the time we reached the river
disco lights and glittery balls
stretched across iridescent banks
ordinary people dancing
like radiant aliens in a trance
past the main dance floor
ushers carry flashlights of sorts
escorting the elderly and tired and mad
the displaced and the misfits
methodically boarding unchartered ferries
destinations undetermined
september two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
of course the aliens always love to come here
to commingle and make babies
and stop by the coffee shop to catch up on
all the latest goings-on
decades have passed before any radical
changes transpired transparently
subtle reminders that you are a mere
shadow of your former self
but those aliens they are an odd lot
they fit in so seamlessly
quietly stealing souls and trading
them in for a song and a dance
july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Lightning strikes on Miller’s farm
and days later
everything is gone
Are you sure it was natural
everyone seemed to ask
or could it have been an arrow
directed by an angry god
Local preachers try to explain
to congregations of none
exactly what didn’t happen
Meanwhile earth moving machines
continually roll in from far away places
april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
standing at the corner of 1st & 3rd
waiting for the light to turn green
fingers tumble down pockets
only to resurface empty-handed
unnoticed by the masses
newly born immigrants jaywalk
these inner city streets
crossing four lanes once occupied
by gas-powered vehicles
I’m told they’re everywhere
but mostly inside your head
emptying out your pockets like
some sort of arcane video game
I used to walk the streets at night
but it became too bright
making me feel like a second class citizen
like a moving target dodging
in and out of alleyways
february two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
stranger is the night on halloween eve
like a mad scientist creating in the lab
saving face from an alien race
growing wings like a common housefly
aspiring to be an angel for one sad girl
laughing quietly behind closed door
time travelers get lost exploring
mountains or underground tunnels
designed to keep you trapped inside
spherically-shaped revolving objects
nothing to hide and everything to gain
he loses himself beneath her skin
stealing mind and body and soul
invisible wires tied to extremities
october two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is magic in the fields
you can feel it
a sort of cosmic energy
forced upon the earth from
unknown galaxies
far away from city lights
alien forces
settle in peaceful places
careful not to disturb
the natural order of things
I didn’t choose to be cast
away from perfection
but I’m thankful to be back
after traveling ninety trillion
and one hundred miles
june two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the engines shut down and the glider
sailed silently below the clouds
discovering neither sun nor moon
careening stealthily over rocky land
she forged into the forgotten bay
low beams highlighting misty air
blending in like alien decoys
her belly rocked on comforting tides
expecting the mothership none too soon
may two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
aliens loved to return here
to feast on information
but mainly to experience
poetic life in the fast lane
april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
inside old boxes embers glow
building roses out of ashes
and lightning strikes
crashing cymbals introduce
a new species of climbers
busily hurrying to reach the sky
zeroing in on unknown territory
you wish to go with them
but as a mere mortal
all you can do is wave
and blow kisses
praying and hoping
they’ll find their way home
september two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
children played in the sand
building empires bound to fail
if not by the morning rain
then by a bloated gibbous
sinking into the sea
they boarded a starship
and set sail into the unknown
praying to their gods
for divine guidance
during years of hardship
starting anew in an alien world
they gravitate back
where sand meets the sea
where sweet memories linger
in unfamiliar air
their curious children learning
to build their own castles
june two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the chatter is always there
two voices going on incessantly
speaking in an unknown language
allegedly having a good time
I understand there are others
but I only hear the two
at times they used to go away for
days or weeks or months
even sometimes indefinitely
I used to think they were my conscience
long before knowing what that is
used to think maybe one day
they would bring me into the fold
those indefinite days long gone
I find it disturbing how I used to
pray for their return
but now I mostly curse at them
and whatever world they came from
may two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there’s no going back they said
speaking omnisciently from
their holier than thou prophecies
their interstellar ambitions
went far beyond
conceptual matter
went far beyond anything
this side of the sun
space travel is like a slingshot
they explained in ancient
texts blown to pieces and
heat-seeking exoplanets
like some uncensored comet
like aliens trapped in human bodies
they continually pray for change
on so many different levels
october two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
solar winds introduce new
life into the galaxy
hurtling subatomic creatures on
out-of-control rocks
racing to find a place to crash
lucky enough to penetrate
outer atmospheres
they breakup and collaborate
as golfball-sized hail
strategically hitting safe houses
once accepted within they evolve
one thousand years
learning the culture and waiting
patiently to take over
a planet destined to be theirs
june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
you started out as an idea
and developed beyond creation
abandoning the seed
you thrived in and out of water
sailing beyond mountains and
conquering various realities
you are a like a tumultuous
space rock hell-bent on
reckless behavior and aspiring
to start whole new worlds
you started out as an idea
and evolved into yet another
intelligent species
april two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
