jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “illusion”

26 Nov 2024

breaking away


personal gods are childlike
always prevailing over the lessers
karmic-minded & interconnected
with everything outside
the human mind

such gods project incredible
optical hallucinations
hinting at nature’s mysteries
some seen as newly freed birds
escaping inner stability

invention based on observation
the emotional self
seeks its inner child
not out of fear or curiosity
rather out of necessity


november two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
17 Aug 2024

Moon on water


What fool is this I said
walking on shallow water
how can he possibly
play tricks with my eyes

From the locust tree
an owl replied it is the moon
disguised as a man
walking on water

But the moon I said
circles above
with predictable regularity
how can it be
I’ve never seen it before
on the face of the earth

The owl replied
the moon is everywhere
at all times
and will be with you in the grave
when the time is right

But what of the moon
disguised as a man
walking on shallow water
for what purpose is this

The purpose the owl replied
is to illustrate
possibilities are endless
whether on land or water
or any unimaginable place
for that matter
you may have yet to see


august two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
01 Oct 2014

surviving the illusion of security


humble currents bring bountiful
trace elements and
serenity to the shoreline
introducing essential nutrients capable of
feeding the masses through next winter

alas the abundance is but an illusion
and once impenetrable clans
(feeding freely upon the land)
find themselves fighting behind the lines
find themselves questioning
their time and place in history





october two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
12 Jan 2014

seeing things


I crossed the bridge on the coldest
day of the year just as the noon
whistle blew

on the frozen river below
hundreds of geese huddled together
on the sunlit ice

once inside the downtown deli
I warmed to a cup of soup
and toasted sandwich

driving back across the bridge
the geese had vanished
into the bitter winter air



january two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

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