jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “flood”

building an ark from scratch


it’s late evening
& I’ve not yet turned
a page

a sheet of paper
blank or lined

a young male servant
or messenger
delivering bad news
by way of wise men

               *

the dam is doomed to fail
or so the story goes
a flood of words deluging
on a sheet of ice
a great sea frozen
over time
is sure to thaw

sun falls further into the sea
the sea becoming
warmer
over generational time

               *

for no apparent reason
someone who has never set sail
begins building an ark from scratch





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

a few years earlier


a little rain won’t hurt nobody
is what I remember Noah saying
not the dude in the book
but the bartender down the street

those potholes in the city streets
Carlos said grown men were putting
goldfish inside them after the big rain
betting on who would make it last

blocked off neighborhoods
pop up overnight
those trapped inside instructed
by the powers that be
to lay low
chillax is what one of them said
until flat-bottomed boats
can bring supplies

by the time the seventh day arrived
it was every man for himself

as far as the women and children
were concerned
well they were nowhere to be seen



june two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

lost continents


they sailed along silver waves
in search of higher lands
the maps in their hands
aligned with ancient stars
that never shined so bright

under the bridge women rocked
stitching winter clothing
the children praying
for a higher power
to free them from their plight

as years turned into decades
mountains slowly emerged
caverns like beacons
calling forth their vessels
to dock within the light


september two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

the flood


and the water fell
pounded upon the earth
relentlessly cleansing
the planet for centuries
forcing god’s children
to reinvent themselves
yet another time



october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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