there’s nothing artificial about it
sometimes definitions
don’t say what they mean
we’ve been trying to be gods
long before the first fire
it’s a natural progression of things
without question
machines will rule the day
their makers having won in the end
creating galaxies all on their own
all while watching
from high above
march two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I have crossed the threshold
of the shadow
no longer afraid
of being alone
a stranger is my own house
waking me
by way of a touch
every morning at three fifteen
the walls & ceiling are dark
as I lay there
blinking my eyes quickly
my once uninterrupted dream
continuing in various shades
of black & white
until finally dissolving
by way of a volitional light
outside of the dream
all doors & windows are locked
from the inside
I wander from room to room
occasionally settling
at the bay window facing south
watching the river running
faster than usual
february two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
7
I remember we were inside
looking out
quite the difference
from the days before when everything
seemed so chaotic
the whirling of the winds
the scorching heat
& the freezing rains
I remember telling myself
believe it or not
this place is most hospitable
6
lions & tigers
pitted against a she bear
& her cubs
humans wearing animal hides
predators looking to kill
real time contests in coliseums
much later played out
in fields of dreams
5
flying fish
and sea urchins
olly olly oxen free
show your face miss nellie
for all the world to see
4
who wants to sing to the moon
and pray to the sun
who wants to watch the stars
falling from the sky
children let loose with their mason jars
running as hard as they can
and cheering as loud as can be
collecting souvenirs one by one
3
we’ve been planting new things
each & every fall & spring
bulbs & seeds & saplings
bushes & shrubs & butterfly weed
and in the winter months
sunflower seeds await in the dark
in the cupboard
dreaming of being scattered
2
I keep telling the youngsters
soon you will see
your very first rainbow
and then you will understand
there is more to life than color
1
in the beginning
there was a flashlight
powered by sunlight
and we were under the covers
flipping the latest comic book
whispering & laughing
but not too loudly
august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
though questions will forever remain
there is much to be done now
consumption of all sorts is alive & well
fresh oranges from a tree
from the good earth various shades of greens
on the store shelves boxes of reds
and jars of blues & yellows
in an otherwise empty playground
two children commandeer colors of their own
crawling across the concrete like spiders
delivering subliminal messages
by stamping down grotesque images
once accomplishing the task at hand
they look at each other
at their own rainbow faces
smiling & shrugging their shoulders
telepathically agreeing
the gods must be pleased
september two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s a saturday morning
and you’re busily taking yourself apart
just you and a youtube video
illustrating how piece by piece
and bit by bit
rear man door and overhead fluorescent
give you all the light you need
tools sprawled out on the garage floor
each one serving a specific purpose
this isn’t the first time
you’ve tried to make yourself
and most likely won’t be the last
but maybe (just maybe) this time
you’ll be good to go come monday
february two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
piece by piece I make myself
starting and stopping
and starting all over again
thinking one of these times
I will get it right
I see myself as a minor god
practicing mad science
relentlessly experimenting
creating new worlds out of thin air
and extinguishing them
for no good reason
one day I will give it all up
in exchange for something
I know nothing about
until then it’s back to business
that is remaking myself
july two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
your imagination started
long before creation
inspired by compositions
streaming through space
emerging from the dark
you selectively choose
what comes naturally
like the ripest apples
hanging on the vine
june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
birth is like a microscopic bang
transmitting near-silent primal waves
quickly creating its very own tiny galaxy
struggles elapse in the background
ongoing and inaudible to the human mind
unmistakable to the almighty creator
to what degree the energy advances
is an invaluable period of time
[no matter the linear length]
from the very start to infinitesimal finish
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
emotions are in charge of the world
and my own creations are nothing but
manifestations that are either killing me
or my next door neighbor
forces sending us in different directions
either deep inside our own agony
or propelling us outwardly into the
beauty of the next world
whichever seems to be reasonably
relevant at the time
august two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
candles burn where I am not
reminding me what may have been
in my little world it is quite dark
at times taking on many shapes
other times simply murmuring
I reach out and bring in pieces
from out of nowhere
meld them together in my palms
first into a ball and
then into whatever fascinations
may gradually evolve
inside each molded piece
an ember burns
invisible to the naked eye
I’ve no idea how many weeks
may pass before revealing themselves
perhaps like a seedling
breaking the surface
or a renegade meteor
breaching an otherwise impregnable sky
december two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I borrowed someone else’s thoughts
and pinned them against a blank
sheet of paper
nothing sticks quite right the first
time so I gathered them together
and sealed them in a chrysalis
where they slowly evolved into
my own creation
(I tried returning the borrowed
thoughts to their original owners
but they all refused delivery)
new words gradually emerge
out of an abbreviated hibernation
and from there I cut and copy
and delete and tweet
and paste paste paste
all the way down easy street
but of course if it was easy
everyone would be doing it
running across backyards
and open fields
swinging butterfly nets
at their ever elusive thoughts
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
in the distance you hear
repetitive pounding of steel on steel
hammer on railroad spike
near perfect in rhythmic meter
and gradually pleasing to the ear
workers form a line around the bend
like pistons rising and falling
each man a link to the next
rotating and following further and
further away from their cages
june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the sun went down
time after time
viewed by synthetic eyes
painted green
computed by plasma minds
learning to change the mood
from elation to blue
the streets disappeared
beneath the earth
giving rise to urban wasteland
man-made armies
evolving into superior thinkers
soon to problem solve
the world’s surrender
october two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
billions of stars
drawing a map
across time
adrift in an
endless quest for
intelligent life
setting suns
give birth
to new moons
new life spawns
deep inside
planetary waters
august two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
this old blue jewel continuously
reinvents herself
through orderly chaos
using beautifully destructive forces
to tear herself down and rise again
in unimaginable creativity
she is her own god forever conjoined
with the serene sky
the strands of creation
emitting sparks from her fingertips
fashioning transcendental elements
into a supernatural world
june two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 