she told me I wasn’t the one
and I believed her
she said there would be someone else
long after my time here
who would wage the war of all wars
one that would bring
everlasting peace
I responded in kind
saying I wanted peace without
waging another war
it was then she left the room
laughing as she went
june two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
The skies were blue
meaning the school children
were outside again
observing
& learning
Used to be it was like an accident
when the sky was blue
some calling it
an (once-upon-a-time) omen
a second coming of sorts
After so many years
the skies were blue again
perhaps an anomaly
inherited from antiquity
redefining what it means to surrender
this day & age
february two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there’s no cause for celebration
when the old man dies
it was his turn the young woman
tries to explain to her child
it’s a surprise there is any celebration
this year let alone any year
outside there is strange activity
as if the infantry
is parachuting over rooftops
flashlights in tow
down below in musty cellars
ordinary citizens
are locking & loading
praying the outside forces
have come in peace
december two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
sometimes if I stare long enough
at the blank screen
words will start to appear
all on their own
as if an alien scribe successfully
cracked the code
suddenly capable of sending
messages of peace & prosperity
right before my very eyes
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there was a guarded optimism
afloat but unseen in the air
like a vague sense of security
that’s inherited by nature
but unheard from for ages
perhaps dormant
aching to be stirred
november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
these buildings don’t belong here
sooner or later they will implode
either by an earthquake
or sworn enemy
it matters not
people will die
it’s an inevitability
no matter the property
no matter the where or the when
it will first come as a dream
and then it will be a reality
streamed online via satellite
archived to be revisited on demand
long after the world
has become a quieter place
october two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
who do you love
when you are alone at sea
one sail & one body
—pieces of teak & cedar
space is like water
clusters of stars your next
destination
one wave after another
soon peace will be restored
—like never before
celebrations will erupt
throughout the lands
from the sea you make out
millions of candles
assembled along the shoreline
the dying winds of war
making them flicker
october two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
nobody is safe yet miraculously
so many live in a constant
state of peace
whether or not the same stands true
interiorly speaking
is another matter altogether
what a world they must live in
insulated from the physically reality
of inner city warfare
the moving pictures
of airstrikes & drone attacks
can’t do justice
especially where justice
cannot be served
october two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
of course there’s a hidden planet
inside our solar system
most likely the opposite of earth
—red & purple & black & orange
populated by peaceful loving creatures
who go about their business
without polluting the air or water or land
without needing to document
a list of things one shouldn’t do
especially unto others
september two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
My people call your people
next thing I know
I’m back on the streets
parading down the boulevard
w/a big dog named Bella
I borrowed from a stranger
The sun shines brightly
positioned at twelve o’clock
strangers casting words my way
shouting out random thoughts
some asking where you going baby?
everywhere I say
everywhere
The streets have never been safer
ever since a miracle wave
swept away all the terrible people
some saying it was the work
of badass angels
either that or a band
of alien collectives
august two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
they arrive out of nowhere
the unannounced
the romantics or the beat poets
not knowing they’re dead
reciting old verses
as you sit in near silence
the bird songs
filter in through the screens
providing background noise
irregular yet repetitive
like the marcher’s drum
ever closer to peace
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is a disconnect
between sublime living
and the reality of the day
so much so
even the planes
and helicopters overhead
produce background music
execution style killings
by thugs & gangs
are just as commonplace
as walks in the park
mother & daughter & child
enjoying the sunshine
unsuspectedly
in the marketplace
a man sells as is avocados
turning pennies into dollars
cross-training his
only surviving child
working & maintaining
chasing down their dream
february two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is dismay
and there is disarray
distressing is the one
who shall not be named
a nation’s people unafraid
and deeply motivated
making a connection
between the now
and the heretofore
a mass migration begins
leaving the status quo
for the impossible
beyond the blue
there is a peace
yet to be discovered
whether deep below the sea
or high above the stratosphere
where open minds exist
september two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
though these hills are not mine
they are a most welcomed sight
rolling like a surreal memory
reappearing any day or night
rolling hills unfold a colorful valley
introducing dreamlike coastlines
free from greed & corruption
and self-righteous shrines
all destruction’s been destroyed
replaced by acres of wildflowers
a newfound spirit rising with the sun
resurrected into a new age
this self-healing land will live on
long after warring sides vanish
bestowed to us by the almighty
this day forward ‘til kingdom come
february two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is a time to play
and a time for prayer
the forgiveness of the day
quickly vanishing
history books laced with hypocrisy
theoretically evolving
from one generation to the next
extremes seem to be
the flavor of the day
whether for fun or destruction
food for thought
wrapped in body art or hatred
ideological musings
rallying for peace or executions
october two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it was her birthday the other day
so I sent her some feathers
it wasn’t exactly an inside joke
but she was most appreciative
we were supposed to hang low
instead took a trip elsewhere
two tickets to nowhere
though we were far from alone
I kept having to make changes
turning feathers into stones
stones into double roses
with hardly a place to grow
there was water everywhere
inside this landlocked nation
cleansing all the feathers & stones
continually accumulating
may two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 