it is clear to me
the answers are embroiled
between the moon & ocean
impossible waves bearing witness
to what we believe to be true
how many notes
will you stuff inside bottles
castaways with nothing to lose
messages reworked as questions
a collection of uncontrolled vessels
of various size & composition
july two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
a little snare drum roll
feet tapping & fingers snapping
waiting on the vocalist
to enter center stage
where o’where could she be
all the faceless people
keep asking themselves
where o’where is the lovely
the talented
the beautiful vocalist
their faces slowly dissolve
into a sea of green
little red triangles floating
here & there
as if having no particular
place to go
soon the band of three
becomes two
& eventually only the percussionist
survives the wreckage
he & his little snare drum shaken
but taking requests
as if becoming the focal point
of the evolutionary
underwater show
june two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s getting late
midwinter
the cold more than snow
wearing on me
like the moon
weighs on the ocean
the gods tell me
life is long
but there’ll be no spring
so I accept
the premise
and shift my focus
southern sun sings
lullabies
shushing darkened clouds
transforming
extreme thoughts
into peaceful waves
january two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she boarded a passenger
train in philadelphia
red paisley scarf
complementing her emerald eyes
and covering her auburn hair
matching bag in left hand
one-way ticket in right
strolling from car to car
she drifted as if on air
pausing occasionally at an
unoccupied window seat
darting her eyes upward
at the silvery new moon
chasing the midday sun
some ninety minutes later
she found herself transported
outside ocean city
lost in a sea of spectators
cheering nearly hysterically
as they slowly become
engulfed in total darkness
july two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
lost in north atlantic amongst winds
and clouds and the darkest of days
I steal glances from my captain’s log
find glimpses of london calling
ship hands from top to bottom believe
those quiet voices beneath the surface
got under his skin and commanded
his ship to sail in a new direction
countless weeks later we finally landed
the fullest of moons guiding us ashore
my captain safely back in london
his men starving to start a new life
december two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
you started out as an idea
and developed beyond creation
abandoning the seed
you thrived in and out of water
sailing beyond mountains and
conquering various realities
you are a like a tumultuous
space rock hell-bent on
reckless behavior and aspiring
to start whole new worlds
you started out as an idea
and evolved into yet another
intelligent species
april two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
they sailed along silver waves
in search of higher lands
the maps in their hands
aligned with ancient stars
that never shined so bright
under the bridge women rocked
stitching winter clothing
the children praying
for a higher power
to free them from their plight
as years turned into decades
mountains slowly emerged
caverns like beacons
calling forth their vessels
to dock within the light
september 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
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
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
the flight across endless waves
remains forever lost
the passengers abandoning time
in a downward spiral
their minds suspended
in horrifically incoherent thoughts
as an oceanic escape hatch welcomes
their translucent deliverance
into an alien world
march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
sitting cross-legged on the floor
my mind shut the door
and i was left alone
in the dark
with a candle and a match
i closed my eyes and focused
on a fire burning in the belly
of a giant fish that swallowed me whole
delivering me to unfathomable depths
where indescribable creatures
ruled an invisible world
as ocean waves crashed on top of me
the door violently swung open
and the room became drenched
with natural light
my hand still holding
the unlit match
the candle
nowhere to be found
january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the ancient ocean gave birth
to fertile earth admired from afar
worked by hands never seen
from its soil a new creation evolved
assisted by elements capable
of producing wind and fire
seedlings awakened and stretched
and instinctively sought to reach
the warmth of the outer dome
brown and green gradually gathered
throughout the valley
weaving itself into a blanket
of outlandish colors
november two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we dove into the waters
and found a way
to not only survive
but live
without the usual oxygen
we once took for granted
january two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 