jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “colors”

25 Jun 2023

under pressure


in the harbor
angels with gold-tipped wings
hang out waiting for a call

in the meantime
I work on my own little story
deciding what it means
when she sent me a photo
of chicory by the side of the road

the flowers were blue
but then again they weren’t
and for the longest time
I tried to describe
the color of her eyes

the sea was calm that day
but my heart was racing
a reminder that the ending
is always by my side





june two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
22 Mar 2023
2 Comments

coloring at the dining room table


what shade of red shall we paint the town
barn or cherry or crimson or rally
it matters not
not as long as we’re out of the house

do you remember how we’d paint the sky
the rainbow’s spectrum our palette
— robin egg blue my favorite
purple haze yours

the canary the daffodil the sun itself
none of them cowardly
fresh & bright as a cloudless day
brave & daring like dapper dan

without the moon the night is pitch black
an off-white candle or flashlight
simple replacements
once the power inevitably goes out





march two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
21 Jan 2023

painted elephant


throw paint at the wall
to get a clearer picture
of what’s in the room
—having dried overnight
return & peel back the colors

the painted elephant
is like a shameless chameleon
a reminder you might not
arrive at any conclusions
the first time around





january two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
13 Apr 2021

from one end to the other


all the colors on one spectrum
it’s destined to happen
just you wait & see

all the colors
she would tell me

and I would be waiting
waiting & wanting more

but that’s all she had to say
all the colors

finally I acquiesced & repeated
all the colors
and then only then
did I begin to understand




april two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
17 Feb 2021
3 Comments

secondary interpretations


looking for something a little
less abstract
maybe patches
of blue green grass
apparent yet sublime
like colorful skin inside
an eggshell white dress

traveling by way of foot
well grounded
and full of hope
a constant eye
on the celestial sky
critically interpreting
all the various shades




february two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
13 May 2015
2 Comments

coloring for two


flip style
box top
magically opens
revealing sixty-four crayolas
fingers and voices counting and
calling each by name
eyes sparkling
cheeks blushing
lips smiling
the youngest and oldest of minds
opening up to new ideas
born on white sheets of paper



may two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , ,
19 Jan 2013

riding shotgun


i left the house unlocked
with all the lights on
and ventured down the hill
in the dark and in the cold

within minutes a warmth
surprised my cool thoughts
as the faraway wall of clouds
evolved into pink and red
and purple and blue

as my meandering mind
marched further away
a bright red fire truck
appeared out of nowhere
blasting its dominant horn
and racing to save the day

a trio of three dogs named
java and cocoa and sally
halted in their tracks
as if envious of the dalmatian
sitting at attention and
riding shotgun


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
25 Jun 2012
10 Comments

wish you were here


wishes will always live
in so many forms
health, happiness and wealth

something as grand
as world peace
or refreshing
as a family in harmony

strangely beautiful words
wish to find true colors
worthy of painting
a world beyond tomorrow


june two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , ,

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