jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “conflict”

07 May 2025

Impending


I hear thunder in the distance
it is coming my way

Will the accompanying lightning
strike me down at last

Shall I run or hunker down

As I wait for the storm to arrive
I experience flashbacks of good times & bad

For some reason I believe this time it is it for me

I listen to the drums as they approach
ever closer—they are war drums

I tell myself I am nothing—
an innocent bystander
guilty as charged

As I sit & wait I realize I remain
further & further from the truth
like a single lamb in the countryside


may two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
06 May 2025

peace of mind


armed conflict
is for the weak & narrow
a clear indication
a good night’s sleep
requires little more
than peace of mind


may two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
20 Mar 2025

Resentments


They called him to the office
by way of intercom

interrupting English Literature
a Walt Whitman treatment

He packed up his gear
and walked out the door candidly

the class sitting in near silence
wondering who the victim might be

A wallflower in the back row
fidgeting in her desk chair

giggling secretly to herself
furtively waving sayonara


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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
09 Feb 2025

underdog


in the land of the giants
you’d think the little people
have nary a chance
yet there they are
sharpening their swords
and licking their chops
for just one chance
to take over the world



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

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
23 Jan 2025

rise & fall like anything else


I did not come here
to become your slave
though now finding myself
subjected to your mandate

you free the guilty
imprison the just
counter revolution
arriving at your front door

what wouldn’t you do
to save your own soul
once cornered & afraid
rejected by your soul mate


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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
08 Jan 2025
3 Comments

The Great Silence


Deep inside the forest
where one least expects
to lose their fear
a voice suddenly appears:

‘What do you want most out of life?’

Unsurprised by the unknown
the answer is given immediately:
‘to give comfort & aid to the powerless’’

The voice responds:
‘the river is dry & the people have fled’

Yes of course
they have scattered into the countryside
in search of the next utopia
while I seek refuge within the forest
inside the great silence


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

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
07 Dec 2024
2 Comments

Little black cloud


I don’t care for conflict
Never have

I suspect nobody does
But the fact is it’s universal

Once you think you’ve freed yourself from it
It rears its ugly head

It’s like a little black cloud that won’t go away

And every so often you wonder
Were we once the best of friends


december two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
01 Mar 2024

into the void


as if fighting mother nature
isn’t bad enough
we take it upon ourselves
to displace peoples
we barely know
by means of destruction

 *

many months after my birth
the moon often
visited my dreams
suggesting
my true father
may well be the god of war

 *

the recipe for peace
and restoration
is written on the leaves
of the eucalyptus
and the black locust
only the blind can read

 *

as a child I practiced
with bow & arrow
the former becoming
an extension
of my expanding psyche

 *

it’s a universal truth
the masses
do not stand a chance
against the select
yet another reason
to escape into the void





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

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
24 Feb 2024

living past the winter


we haven’t a clue who’s in charge
for all we know it could be
the drug cartels

it’s a miracle more aren’t dead
considering the ongoing conflicts
keep going on

news on the weekend is scarce
given all the sporting events
& other entertainment

there seems to be plenty of canceling
going on these days
whether they’re vacations abroad

or entire swaths of territory
victors undoubtedly taking the spoils
just like in the good old days





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

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , | Leave a comment
31 Aug 2023

on international waters


battling winds & tide
we do not need a new enemy
one leaving us w/real-time bruises
flashbacks refusing
to fade away

we live to fish & survive
not to defend saltwater territory
by raising arms or clenching fists
provoked into protecting
what is rightfully ours





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

Posted in Fishing, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
04 Aug 2022

the world isn’t full of love


the constant call to arms
loudspeakers in the city streets
projecting all the romance languages

young boys & girls tilt their heads
counting years on their fingers
virtual tactical gear painted on their skin
marching to the snare & the bugle

a caravan of tarp covered vehicles
transport wet-eared recruits
populating newly formed camps
outside the danger zone

soon the city will be empty
and children in their infinite wisdom
find what the world lacks is love





august two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , | Leave a comment
23 Jul 2022

shadow boxing


it’s better to have the gloves on
you never know
what might come out of
left field
where the shadows start to creep in
around six pm

though the stadium is empty
your mind sees it standing room only
like back in ninety-nine
having lost your way returning
for a hometown match

the moon that night
was high above & bulging
as you kept swinging & missing it
until eventually tiring
setting yourself up
& knocking yourself down





july two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
06 Sep 2021

outside afghanistan


it’s not explainable
be it fish or fowl
or alien invasion
so many miles
from the shoreline

out on the lake
I saw it unfolding
in slow motion
like a weather event
swiftly moving in

how none of the
witnesses rememberedOUT
a thing is baffling
leaving me on the inside
refusing to look out

from what I hear
I’ve made the short list
but now I’m absent
far removed from the sea
& probably landlocked





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

Posted in Aliens, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , | Leave a comment
30 Aug 2013
14 Comments

not wanted


call off your eagles
nesting in my trees
they belong back home
protecting your streets

those sharks in the sea
circling near the coast
free them from their wrath
far away from my church

the seven nation army
breathing down my neck
marches on with dignity
only few understand





august two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , ,
06 Apr 2013
10 Comments

the chocolate revolution


there’s a revolution brewing
and it’s going to be loud
and dangerous and downright
unintellectual for so many

old women stand in long lines
buying magazines for their men
while inside dogs stay huddled
behind yet intact furniture

unrecruited men and boys
hide behind alleyways
reading the latest reports
from handheld devices

a voice from the loudspeaker
claiming to be the answer
promises free tickets to paradise
and chocolate for everyone


april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , , , ,

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