it’s come down to
simple math
living here in these
united states
where no county or
city or town is safe
the simple equation
boiling down
to a matter of mere time
where one fine day
I’ll be walking freely
through a quiet neighborhood
only to be gunned down
as if I was some sort
of wanted man
or a person of color
april two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
At birth, I was cast into a flaming pit of scum forgotten by God.
— Mickey Knox
America the Beautiful
unaccepting of the past
such pride & prejudice
home to many haters
birthing mass murderers
one day at a time
Smoke & mirror history
gives way to a new reality
this twenty-first century
exposure & denial
run rampant on the streets
like Natural Born Killers
november two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there’s nothing to see here
everybody move along
when authority figures
tell people to move along
chances are
there is plenty to see
the shooting took place
mid-morning
and by lunch time
two dwellings & three
vehicles were taped off
there was plenty of talk
but not much action
& those with pics or vids
on their person
most likely kept them
close to the vest
september two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’ve not kept pace with current
events or the latest trends
their importance taking a back seat
to larger issues begging explanation
such as the meteoric rise of trigger happy maniacs
unleashing a wave of unforgiving tipping points
turning my little corner of the world
into something other than beautiful
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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