I saw it on the news
a rare glimpse of streaming media
first in my peripheral
and then in full view
I didn’t want to see it
it was a mistake
—now something I’m unable to take back
I’m not sure what I’m doing
living amongst
all these killer monsters
some successfully hunted down & dead
but the far majority eerily humanlike
& free to roam the planet
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there’s a monster
feeding on the airwaves
sublimely consuming reflections
lazily drifting its way
they keep saying
don’t go there
keep your thoughts to yourself
or the monster will consume them
& pull you further in
in the airwaves there are roses
of every living colour
tempting you with their temporary beauty
while the monster
panting like a panther
pounces on your every lost thought
may two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
november monsters hide behind october bushes
their passive aggressive breathing giving rise
to a once low lying morning fog
there is passion beyond the hills
if you can ever get past progressive barriers
whether physically constructed or simply imagined
shallow heartbeats gradually acquire momentum
approaching like a lackadaisical thunderstorm
clapping along a spacious prairie
of course you’ve been here before
countless times either in this world or the next
perhaps ages ago when monsters could be trusted
october two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
imagine marine-like monsters
inhabiting the darkest of waters
their bodies shaped simply
their fins rudimentary yet powerful
propelling themselves instantly
jetting at reckless speeds
and abruptly halting to a standstill
they are neither here nor there
and represent a constant terror
to those who slip into their world
their world is an antithesis
to the dreams we fabricate
and even in the wildest of our
fascination we realize their depths
are unreachable
their darkness too deep to see
even a flicker of light
leaving us unable to conjure hope
or understand the underworld
unless we sell our soul
and give in to the other side
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she’d been crying
but that was nothing new
nothing a few drinks couldn’t fix
she adjusted herself on the park bench
stretched her neck and
crossed her legs
eyes clearing and focusing
on all the people walking by
if only i could warn others about him
she mumbled
there wouldn’t be a next victim
and his toxicity
would just drain away
like a dead car battery
if only i could tell others
to run the other way
if they ever encounter
this monster
they would never know
how he’s destroyed a few homes
and brags about sleeping
with married women
january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Walked a mile to see a friend
On the last day of his life
Just to hear what he had to say
Just to listen to his lies
I study his eyes they tell me
Something you should know
They tell me about the monsters
And how they stole the show
He talked of his days in poverty
And how he rock & rolled
Showed me worn-out photos
From the days he worked alone
But we all knew another tale
The one he’d never tell
Like one day up upon the hill
The monsters looked so real
The monsters must have took his life
The monsters must have won
They took away his sanity
They stole away his son
But we all knew another tale
The one he’d never tell
When one day up upon the hill
The monsters looked so real
He said his past was not for real
He believed in another time
He walked the halls of yesteryear
And searched up in the skies
He never lived without the fear
Knowing that death was near
Never found the greater truth
Until the monsters took his hill
The monsters must have took his life
The monsters must have won
They live down deep inside of us
They’re always having fun
two thousand four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 