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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “american sentence”

09 Aug 2019
3 Comments

turn by turn navigation


let us reexamine where we’ve gone
thus far relatively speaking

there seems to be some question
regarding our general direction

one step forward and two steps back
why is it we keep stepping on cracks

though indifferent toward religion
saying prayers is still an option

I thought we had come here for good
but since learned we’re only visiting

though preparations must be made
we find ourselves living for the day

and those promises made long ago
will outlast any ancient road




august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
08 Mar 2019
5 Comments

painting Venus


she said I’m quite mad and it was
all I could do not to disagree

we’d been playing with ideas involving
tongues and keeping our eyes closed

there was nothing for us outside
save sunshine and possibilities

I’m tired of keeping my eyes closed
I said while sticking out my tongue

I’m tired of you being quite mad
she said crossing her pale white legs

as I returned to the canvas
she started singing like an angel





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
27 Jan 2018
2 Comments

call me crazy or call me dead


it’s never too late for poetry so queen
says to her tea party

it’s past midnight but fire is alive like
bulging moon high above

sometimes long lost friend surprises you
coming back from shallow grave

brand new vinyls replace old school ones
rising up from hellbent ashes

I’ve never been to heaven but I’ve been
to southern california

newly arrived house sparrows build nests
using hammer and nail and trust

in central park all is calm and quite cool
long before all hallow’s eve





january two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
25 Jul 2017

january train


he said they knew the train was coming
but prayed it would never arrive

I said I always steer clear of tracks
especially on moonlit nights

sun’s power weakens like temporary
madness invading your sleep

one day if not the next memories
become fuel for locomotion




july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
14 Jul 2017
2 Comments

invasive species


there’re so many ways to keep score
you do it your way I’ll do it mine

those thousands dying from war each day
could care less about climate change

cool winds and secret agent men
come and go from man-made skyscrapers

continental shifts and breakaway ice
only separate us more

tug of war versus mother nature’s pull
nobody’s always winning

today’s swords turn into swallows
flying high at the magician’s command



july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
21 May 2017
2 Comments

kings in the castle and peasants on the street


and everything else in between

they kept saying they didn’t belong here
they just couldn’t tell you why

inmates inside jails are processed like
mental patients in denial

courts are filled with judges tossing out
jesters for recycling old jokes

I remember you telling me how you loved
reading how we’ll die alone

young people everywhere are starving for no
particular reason

a greater cause picks up steam ever slowly
meanwhile we carry on



may two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
02 Jul 2016
4 Comments

delayed due to rain


we thought we’d stay awhile
and savor the moment
but then the rains came

I grabbed your hand
and we fled as fast as our
legs could possibly go

once under the bridge
we calmed our breathing
holding each other for dear life

dreaming on a bed of rock
your beating heart
kept perfect time with mine


july two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , ,

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