jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “near death experience”

28 Aug 2023
2 Comments

angels in the bay


I’m not where I think I am
having left my body
due to a medical event

doctors & nurses
respond frantically
putting into practice their craft
someone shouting
code blue code blue code blue

a strange sounding siren
weaves through the hallways
those trained to run
moving swiftly
purposefully

by the time they arrive
I’ve entered the tunnel
swimming toward the lighthouse
a beacon of hope I believe
a row boat coming into view

denying my entry into their vessel
the boaters demand I reverse
my course
the light around us
suddenly extinguishing
—I turn & pause & begin to swim
back to where I started





august two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
14 Dec 2013
7 Comments

number nine doesn’t live here


you rarely recall that night
you should have died
yet every time it surfaces
you completely understand
how kissing the world goodbye
is as simple as
landing on your feet

you imagine you were born
a feline with siamese blood
running through your veins
a cool cat who’s been
around the block six or seven
or eight times
but certainly not nine

crouched behind a waning moon
you patiently wait for hope to rise
above the horizon
feeding your mind with
enlightenment
giving you courage to carry on
yet another day



december two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , , , ,
15 Aug 2012
8 Comments

Chrysalis


I had lost strength
after traveling so far
past the Nile Basin
and into the unknown

A sip from an ancient flower
tasted like perfection
numbing my legs
and sending my mind
into the night sky
where I was greeted
with weightlessness and peace

Throughout the night
I envisioned weaving
up the tallest tree
whose succulent branches
encouraged me to reach the top

Amble in my sleep
I pitched a tent
and watched the world fly by

I awakened to a dazzling
white sky with rainbow clouds
and golden snowcaps
my newfound perspective
exactly like the dream

For centuries I flew across
idle fields with virgin springs
until finally tiring a second time





august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , ,

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