jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “death”

24 May 2013
16 Comments

the remorseful escort


you did not hear her last cries
trapped inside the carrier case
the confusion in her eyes
penetrating my mind
and weakening my spirit
as I attempted to justify
why the end must be near

as we drove away I wondered
if she really had reached
her ninth and final life
or would the ultimate solution
transport her someplace special
where there is no pain
and love is everlasting

missy kitty
Missy Kitty – Born 1999

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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
19 May 2013
12 Comments

I do not wear a watch for I am not afraid


I am not afraid of the tick tick ticking
in the dark of the night
not afraid to challenge the allusion
that everything is linear

all of the crooked roads
lead to broken clocks
stacked high within a framework
not even a jeweler would dare touch

the wise old owl understands
why man is obsessed with counting
but refuses to reveal the truth
and so the journey goes round and round

I shall never retire my fight against
the concept of a single dimension
will never accept the gift of a watch
whose mechanisms will one day fail


may two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , ,
28 Apr 2013
6 Comments

the healer


put a band-aid on it
she said

and walk it off
it’ll be all right

those words stayed
with me
for countless years

whenever I happen upon
someone injured
whether they be a child
or a woman
or an old man
I see her transitioning
from a healer who couldn’t save herself
to a guardian angel on steroids


april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
27 Apr 2013
8 Comments

a brush with death


you hide your beauty behind
your deepest thoughts
deceived into believing
there is nothing left to share

generations of ingenuity
push your instincts
and test your resolve
to fashion the unthinkable

end result is earth shattering
and unbreakable
as you reveal one final time
your undying creativity



april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
25 Apr 2013
5 Comments

how do you move on


a child slips away
for just a moment
crawling between a railing
so many stories high
falling in slow motion
your hands reaching out
unable to grasp
the law of diminishing reality




april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
11 Apr 2013
8 Comments

how to put into words


blank card unfolds
with pencil in hand
as I sit in silence
waiting for the words

instead I draw
a little lost boy
in pursuit of his soul
in the cherished woods

a network of leaves forbids
the sun from shining
upon the moss-covered floor
as the sounds of the silent march
carry on

the young man calls
into the branches
certain someone above
understands his prayer


april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
09 Apr 2013
2 Comments

death in the family


it doesn’t take much
to flip on the switch
and drop down deep
into a chasm
of a distant memory

self-prescribed doses
of self-hypnosis
transports the mind
toward understanding
ancestral realities

old candles aflame
from wishful thinking
exposes wormholes
of new dimensions
leading to affinity


april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
19 Mar 2013
3 Comments

billy loved apple pie


billy died on a sunday
and he never did get a proper
burial. fact is, nobody
knew exactly what happened
to his remains.

a bunch of his buddies
decided to get together one day
and followed a funeral procession
on foot. they were well equipped
with beer on ice
and hash under glass,
not to mention a few packs of smokes.

when the preacher finished
anointing the grave
with oils and incense,
someone beyond the bushes
cracked a joke
about how billy used to love
to smell his finger
after he’d got some.

nobody was ever sure
who really got buried that day,
but everyone knew
soon there would be pie.


march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
12 Mar 2013
5 Comments

bedtime stories


pretend you slip into my slacks
one leg at a time
button my newly ironed shirt
from bottom button to top

you get frustrated with yourself
because you can’t seem
to get the bloody dimple square
on the regimental tie

the silent alarm suddenly
signals half past eight
you lie awake forever late
to next week’s meeting

the reverie shakes you alive
screaming in your sleep
i hate you i love you i hate
the way the story ends


march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , , , ,
10 Mar 2013
14 Comments

pocket jesus


i wandered the open market
looking for nothing in particular
when a young girl motioned me
from a little blue booth

she held out her hand
some sort of oval silver coin
placed on her palm

what is it i asked

it is yours she said

no it’s not mine i said
i’ve never seen this before

please take it she said
i want you to have it

i lifted the oval silver coin from her palm
and held it between my thumb and forefinger

with my other hand i reached into my shirt pocket
for my reading glasses

it’s a pocket jesus she said

yes i see that now i said
how much do you want for it

it’s priceless she said

as i left the open market
i could hear my pocket jesus
mingling with my american presidents
and i imagined what a lovely scheme
they must be cooking
to finish me off dead broke
but unafraid





march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
02 Mar 2013
2 Comments

water landing


the flight across endless waves
remains forever lost
the passengers abandoning time
in a downward spiral
their minds suspended
in horrifically incoherent thoughts
as an oceanic escape hatch welcomes
their translucent deliverance
into an alien world


march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , ,
02 Mar 2013
5 Comments

painted horse


the little ones gathered ‘round
ratcheting their bottoms
against the carpet as if trying to
permanently stay in place

you see
the old man began
bobbing his head
in the old days
you could drive out to the country
with your sweetheart by your side
leaving a trail of dust behind you
weaving your way through rolling hills
where rows of corn stretch toward the sun
and gigantic cows feed on fields
that forever stay green

once you reach the sign
with the painted horse
you abandon the car
and walk hand in hand down a narrow lane
leading you to an antiquated world
where you first learn to saddle your new best friend
and ride off into the sunset
with courage and grace



march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
10 Feb 2013
11 Comments

feeding the flock


they awaken on sundays
and praise the one who gave them life

they put on their finest clothes
and take to the streets
huddled together like little lambs
moving at the command of their shepherd
who leads them down the narrow way
toward the altar of life

as they march they recite
words from the ancient book
raising their hands
toward the open sky
asking for forgiveness
and vowing to repent

when the hour comes
to prepare the table
they shamelessly offer
the most innocent
as an imperfect sacrifice


february two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
26 Jan 2013
7 Comments

landslide


for centuries the sloping hill
produced a bouquet of artistry
sewn into the grass
and handpicked by flower children

an annual blizzard blanketed
the hill and invited participants
to hasten up and down
using any means possible

as the city slowly crawled outward
leaving concrete in its wake
the sloping hill cried
shaking and moaning and hurting

the forward motion gradually
violated the internal integrity
of her existence
until one day without warning
she simply
sailed away


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , ,
25 Jan 2013
14 Comments

just what the world needs


there are too many bad guys
running around.
they’re everywhere
and they make everyone nervous.

these bad guys either carry guns
or they have access to them
or they have whole armies
at their disposal.

there are too many bad guys
running around.
they go to school
or work for the private sector
or the public sector
or no sector at all.

the bad guys either work alone
or become organized as gangs:
some considered illegal
and some considered legitimate
depending upon your perspective.

there are too many bad guys
running around and can be found
anywhere on the planet.
just pick a spot.
they are on television
and some of them provide the news
about the bad guys in waterloo
or shanghai or timbuktu.

there are too many bad guys
running around and they aren’t
going away anytime soon.


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems 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

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