I spent most of the morning
digging up memories from the garden
separating and transplanting
and finding just the right spot
for their next resting place
some were more difficult than others
each an exercise of elimination
both in body and in mind
rest assured I’ll be at ease
once the next keeper takes over
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’ve lost my way in search of truth
whether it be fact or fiction
questioning whether accepting more
correlates to receiving less
As years pass my heart swells
and my eyesight worsens
both troubled by the sign of the times
I’m reluctant to concede to pressure
managing to infiltrate my downtime
whether it be deep in sleep
or quiet contemplation
In the morning I find comfort
anticipating the rising of the sun
whether apparent or behind clouds
july two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she used to play piano on late
Sunday mornings
the boys in the kitchen singing
and keeping plenty busy
preparing brunch and such
there’s no sense trying to
rescue that painting
it’s best to prime the canvass
and start again from scratch
that knock-off Picasso that used
to hang in the living room
made a killing at the auction
the memories weren’t for sale
they simply stayed with the house
drifting in and out of walls
depending upon the season
and which windows might be
open or shut
april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
their sound supersedes the
clamor and the simmering pot
not quite boiling
not quite understood
the floors mean nothing
since they’ve been replaced
replaced but not restored
never to be the same
appearing out of nowhere
like a silver moon in disguise
the music filters through
making my world come to life
the violin and the piano
still echo in these walls
comforting my sorrow
and giving me repose
september two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we were sitting on the balcony
sipping tea and pretending to be happy
while down below piles of possessions
systematically moved from outside the
house and into a rented step van
who’s the guy with the tattoo sleeve I ask
oh that’s Billy she says
he tends bar and does stand-up
right I say without looking up
loving one instagram after the next
refreshing our glasses I wondered if she
had remembered to pack those
forgotten memories
or did she purposely leave them behind
perhaps inside a weightless shoebox
stashed high upon a shelf
or wrapped inside a linen cloth
hidden below a wooden floor board
september two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
that tree is still there
the one in the background
one hundred years old or more
the one you climbed to the top
again and again and again
presenting a world in its most
simplistic state
colorful and melodious and calming
shielded from life’s uncertainties
if only for a brief moment in time
when the days were long
and the nights unfolded
limitless possibilities
june 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
memories stacked neatly
in locked up photographs
once prominently displayed
now distant and dustless
like oddly real dreams
never truly understood
do I dare open the box
and relive all the fears
hidden behind nervous smiles
below cloudless skies
never imagining the future
would ever come to this
december two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
morning light casts long shadows
where trees amass and grow wild
harboring mere mortals
savoring newfound secrets
at work in the dimly lit night
werewolves trail the slender moon
digging out curses buried
deep along the way
on the outskirts of the city
early morning trains whistle and
howl and slowly garner steam
hauling away memories that
never truly existed
october two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
running through fields with
raised nets and breathable lids
atop glass jars
we chase down dreams
and stow away
childhood memories
unaware one day our hidden
beauty will be unveiled
july two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she told me she liked a good cliché
liked how it felt against the
tip of her tongue
she was the kind of gal
who loved to french kiss for hours
or so she told no one
I remember her telling me on
new year’s eve
to be at the bus stop at noon
where she’d pick me up and
we’d go picnicking in the park
it rained throughout the night
and well into the morning
and though the buses don’t
run on sundays
there I sat in the dark
wondering where she was
june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
these dreams go beyond make-believe
and into spaces without stars
where coldness goes unnoticed
and past lives become memoirs
as I lie asleep out at sea
you seem to disappear along the shore
consumed by ultraviolet rays
disguised as gently rolling waves
cradle rocking from side to side
foreign voices tell me not to cry
assuring me things will be all right
once understanding how it ends
june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
camera at top of the world
forces my foot down
left facing the red light
idling first in line
outside the city’s edge
I wait with my own thoughts
neither angry nor sad
indifferent to my circumstance
my petty arguments
list of things unsaid
vague images fly by like
recollections on wheels
transporting me near and far
as if past and present
resided inside the red light
one blink of the eye
I’m rushing forward
to the next intangible destination
chased from behind by
lights of another color
march two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I listened for the past
but found only this noisy place
littered with half-drunken moments
and thunderstorms
so boisterous
we were forced to hide
under the bed with earbuds
and electronic coloring books
I listened for the past
turned knobs on an etch-a-sketch
producing a frequency
revisiting
black light images
dissolving into channels
of jagged lines weaving baskets
and a cat’s cradle
I listened for the past
by focusing on a spirit
reassuredly haunting and
beautifully
invisible
hiding behind the maple
waiting for the oxen to be called
to free her people
july two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
he walks alone
because he has no place
to go
yet he knows
as long as he keeps moving
the world will never slow down
he smiles because
he was told it would keep warm his soul
and he figured
that would be a good thing
in case his heart went cold
remembering is what
he does best
not the yesterday kind of remembering
but the kind
where you go way back when
the kind
that makes you smile
and makes your heart reminisce
july two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
in the clouds the clowns
perform with their balloons
and wacky flowers
and superlative feet
making the children laugh and cry
leaving them wondering
why this world
is such a mysterious place
in the cloud memories
are stored so the children
can recall those days
of carelessness and glee
before forced into figuring out
how the clowns managed to
make this world
seemingly unforgettable
july two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
