winds of change remain the same
although uncertain futures often
bear the best fruit
half a world away pacified oceans
symbolize endless opportunities
for lasting peace
much like the butterfly
there are no boundaries as long
as there is wind to sail
and the wind
oh the wind
breathes forth new life
exhaling a new kind of love
never before seen
july two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
think of me
when the skies in your dream
break free from dusk
dream of me
when you roll over and discover
your softer side
think of me
as if I was still a young man
running after you
remember me
chasing you in your dreams
toward the light of day
july two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
nobody’s tending the fire
it’s just burning on its own
neither controlled nor uncontrolled
emitting a stench of indifference
massacres and coup attempts
repeat like the rising of the sun
highlighting headlines on
doorsteps as death tolls escalate
and accumulate
meanwhile the fire burns
fueled by arms deals between
friends and foes
stoked by power struggles and
brokered by corrupt politicians
enabling strategic corporations
social consciousness bombards
wireless outlets with outrage
pumping up clouds until they burst
pamphlets of love falling
like rain across a world on fire
july two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
by Morgan M Byers & J Matthew Waters
It’s the way you must be feeling
guarded and shielded
my love unable to reach you
How I hate to be broken
the one who has loved you
since the beginning of time
I am willing to be patient
standing outside your heart
waiting for you to accept me
Standing along your shore
I watch how the rest of the world
reaches out to touch you
Pretending not to hurt
I patiently wait for permission
to give you the love you deserve
may two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
please forgive me for asking
but how much in the world
did you pay for your time machine
do you sleep in it every night
turning back time
or do you always look so lovely by
possessing the kind of fountain
long sought after
but never found by modern man
years pass by and my body
gradually gives way
my heart growing weary
(not from worry
but) by forgetting to keep
your beauty all to myself
in the cool autumn air
I wave goodbye as you leave me
never looking back
you say the time machine
will one day bring you home
you say the southern waters
welcome us both
but I concede I must stay behind
keeping the winter warm
while praying for your safe return
april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I sat documenting a million lives
stretched across the globe
not kings or queens
but mere men and women and children
lost in pages of history
only to be reborn
centuries later
void of memory but striving
to improve their worth to a god
seldom offering second chances
time and again they returned
to earth much like wayward souls
unable to let go
cast down by a god convinced
they will one day lay down their arms
and see for themselves
there is love for all the ages
march two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
fire was in order
to control the weeds
little did they know roots
have an empire of their own
conspiring below the surface
earth-shaking machines
pounded past the concrete
instantly peeling back
layers of history that took
centuries to build
civilizations clash
before our very eyes
whether on this continent
or another planet
certain to be conquered
arms races don’t exist
where love has taken hold
where destructive forces
so very long ago
descended into the sheen
march two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
as evening fades like a memory
of a faraway dream
I am reminded of words spoken
barely audible above nightingales
ushering in a rising moon
a promise so to speak
made beneath the warmth
of december clouds
that the spirit of the flame will forever
prevent our love from growing old
november two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she told me to never go away
that tomorrow will always be here
and I pretended to understand
exactly what she meant
she swore she never saw me
reading in the morning light
my story but a whisper
she tried to comprehend
she could never set me free
not while my words silently
surrounded the air and
seemingly flowed inside her
following her for days on end
and time of no consequence
I became obsessed with turning
a single day into all of eternity
november two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
repressed memories lay in shadows
begging to be found
along the side of the road
leading to a place called redemption
I was supposed to pick up the pieces
but I was busy
losing track of precious time
barreling down this lonesome highway
forgive me for my forgetfulness
those wildflowers found
in the middle of somewhere
were meant to bloom in your memory
this love I possess is eternal
quietly moves on
past tomorrow’s horizon
and beyond the roadway to the stars
october two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
inside this cage I hear you sing
your personal psalms
songs of woe and joy
and everything in between
during your darkest moments
supernovas shine high above
though not in your line of sight
they keep you off guard and hopeful
your face is patterned
vertical lines channeling emotions
streaming from your eyes
out in the yard shadows cast
familiar symmetrical smiles
some nights you are unprepared
to fall asleep in my arms
one day a miracle will open the door
leaving you with new ideas
either spiraling yourself far away
or forever haunting my days
september two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
by Daniella Sciuto & J Matthew Waters
Are you jealous
Of the space between us
Filled with darkness
And twinkling stars
Bereft of passion
The green patina of sarcasm
Lobs my way
Have you forgotten
All those years
Reduced to a mere photograph
Safekept under glass
Encapsulated
In an unmanned
Underground
Silo
Why did you build that bomb
The one that divided us
A mushroom cloud of discontent
Hovering overhead
As our atom split
Turning two into too many nights
Alone and cold in the dark
I tried to seek a sign up above
Past an endless sky without light
Finally I ask myself am I the one
Am I jealous of the space between us
Of the fragile photograph kept under glass
Was it me who built that bomb
Did I hover in discontent
Watching as we split
Lonely in this silo in the dark
july two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is nothing new here
except for an occasional idea
unspoken and not stirred
swallowed in large gulps
I poured myself another
but still nothing new
same birds singing sad songs
dogs barking at moons
invisible hands swatting
glass wind chimes
the fly and the cockroach
scamper across the floor
the former riding atop the latter
waving his cowboy hat
like a drunken fool
looking around I find there
is nothing new here
not the television
not the radio
not the woman next door
or the sniper in the woods
I am living proof
that the damned still matter
(and even though)
I am drowning my sorrows
there is comfort knowing
there is love in the shadows
may two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I got out of the house using a bonafide
lie about meeting my buddy at the
pinball arcade
hopped on my tenspeed and
pedaled the shortest route to prospect park
lying on our backs at the top of the hill
it felt as if we were vertical
suspended if you will
the river far below our feet
the clouds above
shaped like sails and almost touchable
all afternoon we held hands and
talked about how old we felt
trapped inside young bodies
unnerved by the fact this place in time
would always be the same
january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
sweetly your song presents
promises
and stays forever in tune
like a prayer
in my mind I hear nothing
but a repeated melody
that is never tiring and
always alive in my dreams
there is an inescapable part of
young love
never lost between inception and death
somehow living on above reality
alone thirty stories high
I endure my lowest hour
mindful all is equal between young lovers
oh cruel world
thank you for delivering unto me
your irony
for without it
I would have given up long ago
I would not give up the world
for anything except you
would not allow myself
to be alienated from your
yesterday or today
would always be near you
wherever you may be
first kiss so true
oh so vivid in our minds
first love at first sight
beauty appears out of nowhere
shuts off the lights and
turns on our lives
anywhere but here
thirty stories tall
how I’d fall off the edge
to be with you right now
originally written circa nineteen eighty-five
rewrite published on ArtiPeeps earlier this year
recital recorded october two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
love is like an open prairie
self-sufficient and showcasing
every true color this world has to offer
weaving blankets of warmth on
cool autumn evenings
and providing shade to weary souls
love is like the birds of the prairie
welcoming each day with
songs of praise
awakening the flowers whose petals
unfold and open their hearts
without a single solitary condition
february two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 