cruel & unusual punishment
prevails more often
than one may imagine
while good news is often
buried in the sand
dirty laundry
is more than likely
aired out in broad daylight
somewhere the truth
lies hidden in the open
like an artifact
or soon-to-be souvenir
february two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
It seems anymore
the days are ruled by extremes
like horses bolting through
closed barn doors
finding themselves stampeding
the wrong way
Meanwhile back at the Hamburg Inn
a displaced marionette
does the dishes in the back
not benefiting much from $12 pub burgers
dreaming of gigging again
in open air arenas
Along the river
youngsters fish for money with their feet
while old-timers grow out their hair
& practice walking on water
striving to achieve ‘mystic’ status
Down at city hall
hundreds assemble peacefully
singing protest songs
& gathering stones just in case
passersby invariably crossing the street
their eyes looking the other way
march two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
nobody is safe yet miraculously
so many live in a constant
state of peace
whether or not the same stands true
interiorly speaking
is another matter altogether
what a world they must live in
insulated from the physically reality
of inner city warfare
the moving pictures
of airstrikes & drone attacks
can’t do justice
especially where justice
cannot be served
october two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
appearances
how deceiving they may be
like the statue of liberty
standing in the harbor
holding back tears
all these turbulent years
shouldering injustices
handed down
from generation
to generation
ad nauseum
standing at the crossroads
where does she go
from here
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the people sentenced him to death
and the supreme judge
possessing the power bestowed upon him
allowed it to be so
how cowardly can one ordinary man be
washing his hands without
looking in the mirror
swayed by the maddening swirling of the mob
truth does not prevail in his proclamations
delivered from on high
promising blind injustice to the many
and deliverance to the few
january two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
they say the river flows red
(this time of year)
due to recent unnatural phenomena
such as climate change
police brutality
and civil unrest
torrential rains cannot dilute
the redness of the river
its banks overflowing
disrupting lives already in need
anguishing over missing person reports
needlessly accumulating
inside wire baskets
power brokers talk of flood walls
(to contain the problem)
but on the streets
there is no such thing as protection
there are only lives that matter
walking the finest of lines
staring down the face of injustice
red river raging from within
september two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
sleeping dogs twitch and simmer
growling in their dreams
guarding gates leading to salvation
this promised land no longer
glows with hope
its torch once a welcoming beacon
burns violently
out of control winds
swirling in a harbor of hate
sleeping dogs shake violently
unleashing chokeholds
exposing incisors and canines
keeping freedoms at bay
promising to tear into the fabric
of a once selfless nation
sleeping dogs twitch and simmer
growling in their dreams
guarding gates leading to salvation
january two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
individual victories are few
for those unheard voices
having restricted choices
and few precious resources
you know I don’t have to be here
he reassured himself
keeping warm from layered clothing
mentally digging in for the night
mercenaries from the past
march alongside enemies of the state
chanting slogans in ancient languages
only few understand
december two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
he was tired of being nice
so he moved on to better things
hooked up with some of the boys on
thursday night south of eighteenth street
his woman wasn’t happy with some
of the choices he was making
proceeded to tell him so friday morning
he bought a handgun and spent
his saturday at the pistol range
clearing his mind by repeatedly
reciting bang bang bang
on sunday she sat polishing her rosary
wearing dirty white gloves
church bells ringing in the distance
when monday night mob turns raw
he slips into a brand new world
picking up instincts and aiming
to get a clear shot at something
january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
time has brought change though it seems
everything remains the same
except that there are more of us going about our lives
doing the things we love to do and
doing nothing about the things we hate
because the challenge is just too daunting
so we allow all-powerful corporations to
continue making profits on weaponry and war
allow all-powerful governments to preach
peace while covertly perpetuating
conflict in faraway places
maintaining instability that has lasted
thousands of years
where lives are continually torn down and
wearily rebuilt over and over again
where faces of children
don’t understand the meaning of happiness
because they are forced to live in a world
continually spinning in a direction that is
contradictory to everything decent and just
december two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
and the police have sanctioned bullets
and the judges have their natural-born faults
and some of the locally elected are faithful
and some of them are corrupt
and the higher up you go
from city to county
from county to state
from state to region to super region
the higher you climb the greater the ratio
between the just and unjust
between good and evil
and there’s no telling who is winning
because this kind of winning is artificial
artificial like misguided dreams
and make-believe handguns
december two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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