sit beside me my child
and listen to my story
where all the people
of the elusive valley
live in harmony
and die in peace
sadness beheld
my child’s eyes
as she cried in disbelief
certain my story
of the elusive valley
had been blown
to smithereens
november two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
one hour past midnight
the clock tapped me on the shoulder
and i opened my eyes
laying there in the dark
staring at the wall coming to life
with silent apparitions dancing to the rhythm
of the outside breeze
which filtered into the room
slightly chilling my hands and feet
i was too scared to move
and wondered if the time had come
to travel with the company
wondered if the players
would pull me out of the bed
and carry me away out through the window
into the never-ending night
where i would become a shadow
dancing on someone else’s wall
november two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
promises of glory
took you away from me
leaving me helpless
and grasping for understanding
exactly what went wrong
i sit in my chair and recall the days
watching you kill mercilessly
on the television screen
watching your back
aiding and abetting your safety
from the mindless enemy
those games now collect dust
as i wander through the house
murmuring to myself
for my stupidity
november two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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
The shadow of Billy Capp
drifted along Little Mill
encouraging anyone
to venture further inside
the once private property.
It was a hundred years
to the day Billy Capp
was shot in a poker game
the ace of spades found
buried beneath his sleeve.
Legend has it he was chained
and dragged to Little Mill
where he was anchored
into a seven foot pool
that moonless autumn night.
Come springtime the body of
Billy Capp had diminished
into a spectral mist
forever daring any brave soul
to test the sterile water.
october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the realtor led the young couple
from furnished room
to furnished room
the baby fidgety and vocal and strapped
to her mother’s back
as if innately aware
why the previous owners’ children
priced the fabulous walkout ranch
to sell on the very first showing
september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
autumn arrives right on time
a reminder that none of us
can forever enjoy
the endless days of light
early in the morning
when the sky is untouched
by a belated sun
you are awakened by little leaves
knocked around by tortuous winds
forming strength as a collective
and striking window panes
as if they were sheets of rain
nothing can escape the transition
into this slow death
where you are bound
to experience the creepiness
entering your soul
leaving you hungry and cold
and wishing for all things new again
september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
faces of friend and foe
come and go
but i must live on
using my own eyes
to scan the universe
and examine my soul
i hear of things
both good and bad
from those i think i know
but i am not to judge
what is not mine
for i must deal
with eternity
on my own terms
i imagine what happens
in three dimensions
will take on new meaning
once riding my pale horse
off into the sunset
september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
i gave you my promise
and you ran with it
all the way across the country
where you boarded a ship
destination i don’t know
you tried saving the planet
with my promise
attached to you at all times
like it was part of the dog tags
hanging from your neck
by the time they shipped you
back to the states
the promise had expired
lost to the heavens
awaiting for me there
september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
his eyes squinted
at the cherry red end
as he drew smoke
to his lungs
sitting in the dark
in the old cloth chair
crushing the butt
into the tray
a hot piece flies off
and lands in the cushion
his weighty eyes closing
from sheer exhaustion
august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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
satan sat poised and silent
listening to the dead man’s plea
nodding like a disinterested psychiatrist
who magnanimously extended the session
so the injured soul could recount
all the right reasons
for distrusting the existence
of life after death
august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I had lost strength
after traveling so far
past the Nile Basin
and into the unknown
A sip from an ancient flower
tasted like perfection
numbing my legs
and sending my mind
into the night sky
where I was greeted
with weightlessness and peace
Throughout the night
I envisioned weaving
up the tallest tree
whose succulent branches
encouraged me to reach the top
Amble in my sleep
I pitched a tent
and watched the world fly by
I awakened to a dazzling
white sky with rainbow clouds
and golden snowcaps
my newfound perspective
exactly like the dream
For centuries I flew across
idle fields with virgin springs
until finally tiring a second time
august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
flatfooted on the edge
of a supersized
new york city highrise
i calmly stand tall
like an olympian diver
slowly rising to her toes
before falling into twisted
recollections of fetal positions
and outstretched arms
a trail of shuttering thumbnails
racing faster and faster
until forever buried
below the water’s wake
august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
you forgot to tell me
where you had gone
so I wandered into the night
dreaming I would find you
somewhere safe
the night never ended
neither did the dream
of finding you
beyond the treetops
as an infinite light
july two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
a ton of things need fixing
around here
but i choose to watch the cubs
probably lose another game
and hop on the internet
do some poking around
tweet a few hashtags
it’s not like the yard doesn’t
get mowed
or the toilet stays broke
it’s just that the list is endless
and sometimes it’s more fun
to wonder who’ll get it all done
once my jig is up
july two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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