listen to your heart
quickly picking up the pace
beating in five and seven sixteenths
for no good reason
if only to let you know she’s still around
able to get your attention with a simple
snapping of the fingers
eventually quietly settling back down
minute by minute
and retreating
to a healthy resting rhythm
december two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
pretend I am alive and well
breathing deeply
focusing on my heart
how it beats slowly
like a little drummer boy
bringing up the rear
marching off to war
though fear abounds
peace surrounds his heart
beating steadily and true
rhythmically purposeful
settling the nerves
of all those around him
one measure at a time
no longer afraid
the war is finally over
joy and jubilation
taking over city streets
his ever beating heart
bringing new meaning
to peace on earth
december two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserve
I’ve been working on my buzz
ever since I got off medicine
be it session brown ale
or good old-fashioned sipping whiskey
I used to have this voice
but now all I have is electronic means
jotting down my lost thoughts
eventually cast into cyberspace
told myself I won’t cry no more
especially now that my beating heart
(seemingly stronger than ever)
belongs to someone else
october two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
off and on my heart beats
depending upon weather conditions
or latest traffic reports
whether or not your thoughts
infiltrate mine coincidentally
unannounced yet always welcome
oh how my heart beats
off and on depending upon
time of day or moon phase
sometimes reliant on outside forces
like a good night’s sleep
or promises of pharmaceuticals
despite off and on promises
made with the best of intentions
broken hearts beat willingly
always depending on the here and now
in the happily ever after
as if time was never a factor
september two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
stained glass hearts
tarnished over time
void of even the faintest
hint of crimson on the
brightest of summer days
on occasion lonely hearts
glisten back to life
slowly reaching out on the
clearest of nights at a
bulging moon turning blue
march two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Note: this poem is linked to Crow’s Open Mic Invitation
they brought me onto stage
and explained to the
thousands of participants
seated in the open air theatre
exactly what it was
they were about to witness
young ones dressed in white
laid me down on the
table and calmed my fears
naturally deadening my body
before skilled surgeons
unveiled my open heart
november two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
he walks alone
because he has no place
to go
yet he knows
as long as he keeps moving
the world will never slow down
he smiles because
he was told it would keep warm his soul
and he figured
that would be a good thing
in case his heart went cold
remembering is what
he does best
not the yesterday kind of remembering
but the kind
where you go way back when
the kind
that makes you smile
and makes your heart reminisce
july two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is a place beyond the horizon
where the moon bounces off the waves
and creatures of the deep
reveal themselves for all to see
there is a place beyond the sea
where stars are reborn
time and time again
giving new meaning to eternity
there is a place within your heart
forever caring
forever evolving
and forever trying to quiet
the madness from within
there is a place outside this world
where we will meet again
where the orchestra is perfectly refined
and we hold on for our dear lives
as we dance forever into the night
february two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
thoughts begin to falter
as my blood pressure
takes a sudden drop
helicopter blades cut
into the dark night
racing toward the cross
on the ground miracle
workers scramble
to prepare the table
it’s gonna be all right
someone told me
is all that i remember
january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
before and after does not exist
in the archer’s constellation
where an inconsumable
star factory
produces heavenly blue skies
and fiery sunsets
where reality is forever
suspended
and an open heart
welcomes
any soul pursuing
a new beginning
january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
one hundred twenty times
a minute the baby’s heart
masters frequency
perfectly in sync with nature
and forever dependent
upon the course of time
please stay with me awhile
and watch me learn to love
the power of frequency
december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we labored to perfect
the replication of a hollowed
muscle application
centrally located and rhythmically
circulating essential oils
throughout the entire framework
of contemporary tin men
november two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she found me weeping
on the river rock
my breathing shallow
my vision focusing
on distant memories
of an endless sky
i had no recollection
of the terrible beating
my body had taken
had barely remembered
how she lifted me up
and carried me away
she used her gifts
to mend my lonely heart
and tattered wings
restoring my will
to take to the sky
and find my way home
november two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
what heart is broken
seeks out to find
a remedy certain
to forget past times
how sad the memory
painful to the heart
broken yet breathing
forever on guard
time is of essence
nothing stands still
a heart once broken
desires to rebuild
october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I burned your image
in my mind
like charcoal lead
on cottony white paper
I painted your eyes
on canvas
like I had known them
my entire life
I drew your heart
closer to mine
beating rhythmically
as if we were one
september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
