what’s bigger than the ego
—the ocean or the
waxing gibbous aglow
the whole wide world itself
where will it go
once separated from the mind
—to the bottom of the sea
or exiled to the moon
maybe buried in the garden
the body is sixty percent water
a puddle if you will
a black hole or a portal
—a mere trick of the mind
leaving the ego behind
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
stuck inside this shell of mine
I look inward at it’s design
craftily built like a canoe for one
carving the river like a knife
the inner workings invisible
to the naked eye
heartbeat & conscious thought
maintaining its own world order
what once stayed afloat in water
will eventually take to flight
if not as a last resort
then by the will of its very self
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
listen do you remember
the way it filled the room
an aroma you wished
would one day return
in court I’m appearing
as star witness most days
honestly saying I’m a master
at misremembering
go ahead and ask your
silly questions
it’s true I once was in love
judge unequivocally asks
is that your final answer
ordering the stenographer
to repeat the soup du jour
in the end it becomes subject
to alien interpretations
the smoke from the gun in the room
the cigar of the inspector
february two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
how am to I think except by
the environments placed before me
arriving from various angles
from places near & far
from unthinkable scenarios
that intermittently plague my mind
at first against my will
I would be cast into solitary confinement
but as time wore on
the episodes became self-imposed
accepting this intense & intimate
atmosphere as my very own
I convince myself I’m most successful
when misunderstood
people pointing & laughing
and believing I may have lost
that most important last
piece of the puzzle
shaped like a key
september two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
freedom means nothing
unless opportunities live
outside the body
body snatchers
I have no time for
but those mind snatchers
I want to meet them
outside my moonlit window
those dreams you keep having
the ones keeping you up at night
how long do you think
they’ve been keeping you alive
and how long before
you can convince them
to take me with you
march two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 