jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “life”

where oh where can she be


she’s in a better place now
he mumbled to himself
retying his wingtips on the bathroom stool
dabbing his finger with his tongue
and erasing old smudge marks

she never felt comfortable
walking in her own shoes
choosing instead to be someone else
like a promising young star
searching for that perfect role

he walked back into the parlor
and mingled among the living
wondering where in the macrocosm
her consciousness had landed
now that her body lay in state


june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

the rhyme inside us


wandering through the orchard
I picked a fresh rhyme
held her loosely in my hand

arriving back to the house
I opened my palm
found the rhyme cold and lifeless

rocking her inside my arms
I quietly breathed
healing words into her core

slowly her color returned
her skin unwrinkling
newfound rhythm filled the air

quickly I composed a poem
with water and vase
the rhyme inside blossoming


march two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

crossing over to life


I had no idea I crossed over to life
that day you set me free from
centuries of rest

you said I was a sleeping giant
but I only saw myself
as uncharged atoms
floating randomly through darkness

standing at the center of attention
you raised your hands
and opened them upward
towards the sun
delivering unto the gods
the light that was once my life


february two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

blessed are the lucky ones


when someone says they make
their own luck
I can only imagine how blatantly
foolish they must be
believing having control
of their own destiny
is actually possible by someone
other than the gods

for free spirits such as these
I hope they never
ever know
it’s just a matter of time
before they come to realize
luck has nothing to do
with their lot in life
nor their untimely demise




january two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

sometime before the sun


I awoke violently
as if someone had grabbed my
shoulders and shook me
with all their might

Gasping for breath
as if dying or coming to life
I recall striving to push my imagination
from beneath the surface
out-chasing the nightmare
that is the unborn

Within the darkness
I hushed myself back to sleep
pretending nothing
ever happened to the sun


december two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

that cool refreshing drink


this notion about life giving you lemons
seems a bit silly

I mean
what about apples
and oranges and pears

there is orange juice
and apple juice
but with pears
it seems they’re
mostly compatible with jello

with lemons I envision
shots of tequila and table salt
even though the most popular
drink of all must be lemonade

as children we constructed a booth
and sold nature’s candy
all summer long
and when the homeless arrived
with their hands held out
we smiled and offered them
dixie cups full of our finest elixir



two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

acquiescence


if only I had freed my mind
from the fatal threat
I would have cleared the board
of thoughtlessness
instead of surrendering
to acquiescence


august two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

alive like the butterfly


the moment you start looking back
and analyzing every misstep
chances are you are not where
you want to be
and all the hopeless wishing in the world
will leave you even more wretched

consider the beauty of the butterfly
and ask yourself if your life isn’t worth
just as much
and maybe then you will understand
moving forward is the only option
with or without a migration map


june two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

genome projects


this old blue jewel continuously
reinvents herself
through orderly chaos
using beautifully destructive forces
to tear herself down and rise again
in unimaginable creativity

she is her own god forever conjoined
with the serene sky
the strands of creation
emitting sparks from her fingertips
fashioning transcendental elements
into a supernatural world


june two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

lessons to be learned


enormous yellow bus
makes historic stop
at the corner of oak
and every avenue

daddy holds his little girl’s
hand as the two of them
stand speechless staring
at the flashing stop sign

the door swings open
and curious feet disappear
into a swarming world
of pushing and pulling


march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

polar opposites


beauty arises from the dirt
born of age-old comets
and earthly delights
photosynthetic arms
feeding on the sun
and supporting a smile
colorful and wide

beneath the surface
a neural network
grows in an opposing way
stretching and penetrating
though the darkness
weaving absolute lifelines
for the blind to grasp




february two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

embryo


I entered the world
like a flower blooming
an experience blocked
from a memory dying
to understand
how the subliminal past
led me to this time
where I beget the pistil
and the petal


november two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

the city is near


I merge onto route one
around midnight
a cup of coffee
shaking in my hand
another placed
in the holder

in the back seat
my darling exhales angrily
pleading with baby
and begging the lord
to give us more time

I race past the limit
chasing the new moon
and hugging the white line
laughing at the thought
I’m a daddy any minute



july two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

reflect


i’m borrowing this rock
i keep in my pocket
uncovered years ago
when starting the garden

i washed it off
in the birdbath
dirtying the water
and giving it new life
for however long i can



july two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Man.


Man.
We contempt and condemn
compromise and concede
ridicule and joke with
and otherwise
turn a blind eye
to the fact
we have no proof
the roller coaster ride
outside the Earth’s orbit
is meant for our kind.

january two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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