jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “hero”

02 Nov 2017
9 Comments

up close


what happens to common heroes
after their heroic feats
do they go back to their ordinary
everyday lives
and pretend nothing ever happened
or are they forever ruined
walking the streets at night
glued to the couch by day
answering all kinds of questions
regarding publicity and adversity
and public expectations

I suppose their dreams are forever
changed and some days
they wake up unsure of their location
recalculating events
recalibrating and recalculating
ratcheting back to a place in time
where all they saw
were the whites of their eyes





november two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
27 May 2017
6 Comments

ordinary hero


if you don’t turn the soil over
every now and then
you never know what you’ll get

it’s only eight-thirty
what’s the hurry
and here I thought you were
some sort of night owl on a
mission to save the planet

history tells us
if you come in peace
you will be shot sight unseen

such a shame
so they say about the ones who
die so young
but not your kind
those destined for stardom
all the while struggling to shine

you can never promise me paradise
but rest assured your restlessness
will always keep me guessing



may two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
25 May 2015
2 Comments

there goes my hero


everyday daredevils take to the sky
challenging gravity and defying tragedy
seeking neither fortune nor fame
simply addicted to danger
and that unquenchable desire
to stare death in the face
every single bloody morning



may two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , ,
14 Mar 2014

to the queen’s rescue


court jester hoists me up
far enough
my hands grasping the bow
feet skimming along the bark
stepping vertically until
finding myself in seated position
like a fisherman

from there I cast my line
past the edge
hook motioning like a pendulum
butterfly bait caught in
capillary branches
fluttering and struggling
to belabor a million breaths

crawling out on bloodline branch
the fate of coin weighs
heavily upon a commoner’s quest
either flipping and falling
straight to the ground
or forever hailed as the
queen’s guardian angel


march two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
23 Jan 2013
4 Comments

purple heart


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

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , ,
22 Jul 2012
4 Comments

Crimson and Me


I rode my new bike called Crimson
down the Southern route
of the Urban Trail.
I soon met a squad car inching toward me;
two of its wheels on the path
and two on the grass.

The officer flinched his finger and thumb
directly at me with a smile.
I just stared at him in passing,
confused like a dog
sorting out a strange animal
for the first time.

As I carried on I pondered
changing into my red cape
and saving the day
by single-handedly
apprehending the villain
who lurked somewhere in the brush.



july two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,

Post Navigation