jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “angels”

01 Jul 2017
14 Comments

wounded angel


I set the oscillating fan on the second
of three settings
blowing warm air straight through
the wounded angel

I don’t think she’s breathing
I say while trying to make the fan oscillate

I don’t know if angels actually breathe she said
wrapping a cold press across his forehead

aren’t angels supposed to be helping us
I say pressing button after button

would you just leave that damn thing alone
she said and help me move her
back into the shade

that damn sun keeps moving I say
he’s not looking so hot
shouldn’t we call 9-1-1 or something

no we’re not going to call 9-1-1 she said
what are you fucking crazy





july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , ,
07 Jun 2017
4 Comments

too young to be taken away


they said she was dying
and so she was
and so she did
pass away amongst nondescript
fanfare

time passed
and so everyone else living
(or everything else living at that)
continued on with time
some continuing to live in the moment
and others not so much

every so often her name comes up
in casual conversation
perhaps at a coffee shop
or walking past third street windows
pondering and wagering how many angels
were required to sail her away





june two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , ,
20 May 2017
6 Comments

open windows


and so it seems every day is saturday
probably in the middle of may
downtown the farmers’ market’s abuzz
like a highly functional beehive

the children love to go downtown
where angels hang out in highrises
being seen by those who can see
otherwise merely open windows



may two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
07 Apr 2017
6 Comments

apocalypse then and now


it’s come to this
mammals dressed in pants
fighting for territory on
principles born in the backwoods
countless centuries before christ

before dungeon and dragons
there was this game called
kill or be killed
and for whatever reason (ever since)
programmers can’t seem to shake the code

only the lowly and the few have witnessed
angels waiting in the wings
some perched atop palm trees
others drifting into the bay
hapless and humming
reluctantly waiting for the end to begin



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , ,
11 Dec 2016
8 Comments

peace and serenity reprised


how is it you can turn nothing into
something in a matter of seconds

you reach up and snatch some fresh air
(without ever going outside)
and when you open your clenched fist
the place smells like lavender and lemon

it was you who opened your heart
to peace and serenity
recently pardoned by the sitting president
released into your custody after serving
thousands of years of a life sentence

there’s so much more I need to learn
you remember eagerly telling them
now let’s roll up our sleeves and figure out
exactly who needs us most



december two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
19 Jan 2016
2 Comments

flash powder


what have I contributed
to the cause
keeping the music alive and
guarding elephants
from poachers

I’ve given up aerosol sprays
and gasoline
marlboro lights
store-bought soup
and religion

how much more do I have to give

that constant humming in my ear
is that just a warning from
my guardian angel
or simply a reminder
how those widely admired
can easily be swept away
like a night owl’s prey
silently screaming

absolution doesn’t exist
in the blink of an eye
and even if it did
no act of contrition could
prevent anyone from
seeing the light


january two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
16 Oct 2014
2 Comments

wormwood

from the book of revelation

hurtling through space indefinitely
it was only a matter of time
before wormwood
reached the outer edges
exploding into a colorfully
destructive rainshower

up above trumpets sounded
and incense burned
angels huddled together
compacting balls of fire
and hurling them onto earth

though many on the surface
perished from such punishment
it was wormwood
that single-handedly wiped out
a third of all living things
both on land
and on sea
and below the sea

and though dust consumed
a third of the sun’s light
supersonic blasts
broke through the haze
telegraphing without question
the worst was yet to come




october two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
08 Oct 2014
7 Comments

tightening the grasp of my amulet


I’m afraid of losing it all
one day waking up discovering
I don’t have what it takes
to reach the next destination

Sometimes wish I could just
curl into a ball and
forget about paying attention

Sometimes wish I could just
venture out alone and
walk away into the winter sunset

I’ve been down this road before
but always found the
long way out
my misguided angels
eventually finding me
a new shiny amulet

Walking closer to the sun
I lighten my load and
tighten the grasp
discarding all regrets




october two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
16 Jan 2014
12 Comments

restoration project


they fell from the sky
these transparent wings of mine
tattered and torn
and superfluously useful

night and day I stitched away
new leather onto old
rubbing and shining and redefining
a finer shade of gold

I hung them all alone inside
an unlit closet
wherein they stretched and glowed
and quietly repaired
imperfections I could not mend



january two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
08 Sep 2013
8 Comments

sunday with nana


when I was a little girl she said
I sang in the children’s choir
and everybody loved us

we smiled and tried to imagine
how nana could ever have been
a little girl singing in church

like a magician she pulled psalms
out of her throat and lifted them
high into the glorious air

angels appeared playing flutes
and trumpets and approving the
perfection that was her voice



september two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
13 Apr 2013
23 Comments

paper tigers


once the children moved out
demons moved in disguised
as paper tigers roaming
from room to room

their emerald eyes shined
from the darkest corners
of the night reminding me
of a love I once had

I fed them sad stories
in exchange for my life
but their promises of light
I could not fathom

I asked them kindly to leave
my world but they curled
where the winter sun
shined through glass

in the spring I found strength
to unfold and reshape
keeping the demons at bay
as paper angels hanging





april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , ,
23 Dec 2012

the escort


you entered my life
in a most unexpected way
leaving me to dwell
on all things
naturally good
giving me a sliver of hope
for achieving peace
within
before i am escorted
out the door

december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
03 Nov 2012
2 Comments

to your rescue


I saw the fear in your eyes
coming straight at me
in a paralyzing dream
leaving me forever afraid
to call out your name
in the dark of the night
as I lay shivering
and dripping wet
wondering if my lovely angel
had come to your rescue


november two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
14 Oct 2012
9 Comments

missing you


innocence is regrettably lost
when exposed to a virtual world
bent on glorifying decadence
through intense selfishness
where powerfully dark forces
can bring an angel to her knees
sending her somersaulting
beyond gravitational forces
that keep this planet in place



october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
27 Aug 2012
4 Comments

children of the light


we danced in the rain
beneath the streetlamp
our minds drifting
past the invisible moon
into carelessness

we lived in a place
without birth or death
a visual paradise
where angels in the sky
longed to touch down

at night we chanted
for the moon and rain
to call the children
hiding beyond the light
to dance
and dance again


august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
07 Jul 2012
2 Comments

Tuesday’s Gone


There’s something about this coffee,
I said, speaking to the cat,
knowing she knew exactly what I meant
because she too drinks the same water
from this dated kitchen.

There’s nothing right about this place,
it seems to have lost
the intimacy it once had.
Instead of doing anything about it
I’m just going to drink
this lousy cup of coffee
and wonder where the angels went.



july two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , , , ,

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