little paper moon inside
my watch pocket
keeping time like I never knew
changing from sliver
to full without being seen
brightening and fading
like a kiss from my little girl
wishing the world would
always stay brand new
august two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
amid dark winter nights
I lay out glorious plans
to conquer the seed
the wind and the rain
the whiteness of the world
inspires me to envision
perfect days where irises
bloom under moonlight
sacred revolutions seem
as remote as paradise
testing my patience
from far away places
january two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we walked between the lake
and the rail yards
smoking cigarettes
and spitting on
century-old ties
wondering if the midnight train
will ever arrive on time
it was a year ago tonight marshall
died on these very tracks
attempting to escape
his own restlessness
his dream of starting a
new life
in st louis or kansas city or santa fe
seemingly interrupted
we made a fire
like we always do
and sat in a circle
our voices as quiet as
stones skipping on water
our karma just a little off kilter
one of us asking out loud
why there is no moonshine
november two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
billions of stars
drawing a map
across time
adrift in an
endless quest for
intelligent life
setting suns
give birth
to new moons
new life spawns
deep inside
planetary waters
august two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I don’t necessarily like
the way I was raised
just like I’m not expressly thrilled
with the way I raised my own
I don’t mind all of the free
time I have these days
just like I’ve come to accept
how astrological forces
forever rule the world
I’ve considered going back
to tinker with a few things
but the new moon
in the twelfth house
keeps me grounded here
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
adrift on a raft
with no land in sight
you lie back
and make friends
with a setting sun
lost in dreams
the bulging moon
wrecks havoc
on brainwaves
regenerating
distant stars
seek rolling waves
tossing you
into a whirlpool
of endless light
march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
in the middle of the afternoon
the lights went out in the city
and all the people
filed out into the street from the skyscrapers
and candy stores
and barber shops
and taverns
quiet as kindergarteners on a fire drill
it was like the calm before the storm
as the full moon
performed its magic
only this time
as it slowly penetrated into the light
it was shot down
by a thousand arrows
launched from within the earth
march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
i dreamed the new year
never arrived
and i was left on the shore
listening to the moon
kissing the sea
as i walked along
a restlessness stirred
within
reminding me
you are always near
january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I recall the day
she was thin
wearing a new
eggshell white t-shirt
innocently smiling
The passage of time
reshaped her views
becoming impartial
to the crescent
and the cross
Continuing to mature
languor set in
her spirit seemingly
broken in half
her desires numb
Feeding on earth
she became pregnant
with knowledge
bulging like a gibbous
and loud as a siren
Her finest moment
exposes all that is dark
shining light on
an uncertain world
full of hope
and trepidation
august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
deep thoughts reside
on the far side of the moon
where the sleeper catcher
infrequently visits
an otherwise quiet mind
gradually over time
subconscious spirits
escape past the dreams
quietly acting out
a world I yet to know
may two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we had met it seems ages ago
at a time when no one knew
how to plant corn or make bread
back then days were upside down
and the moon was locked
in its place: a perfect excuse
to exaggerate without consequence
and pretend logic never existed
as time passed many faces rotated
around the clock
some memorable
some forgotten
some forever fixed in consciousness
without any particular reason
the alternative path rarely presented itself
until one night in the future
the moon beamed a smile
and there we stood face to face
august two thousand eleven
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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