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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “poem”

28 Mar 2020
2 Comments

I thought you were an angel


there is madness in the silence
or so they say
left to your own devices
it’s impossible to imagine
what may have transpired

the sign on the door reads
no vacancy
but inside the house sits empty
and stocked with supplies

and so you will never know
just how many you could have saved

without any media it’s hard to say
how many survivors
might be out there
maybe in groups of two or three
going door to door




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
27 Mar 2020
2 Comments

Living the Life


Maria my sweet Maria
How I wish you would
Find your way back
Back to where you belong

I fell back to earth long ago
Only to be with her
But now she’s gone
Oh yes she is gone
And my translucent blue wings
Are nowhere to be found

Maria my sweet Maria
Tell me which is real
Flying high above the clouds
Or forever in my dreams




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
26 Mar 2020
3 Comments

never greener


we’re planning on breaking camp
and find a less crowded hill
stop somewhere along the way
and reload our dwindling supplies
adding a twelve pack or three
and batteries for the weather radio

I say we’ve been down this road before
and you tell me you don’t wanna die

we make better time at night
rarely speaking and changing channels
the other you falling in & out of sleep
waxing gibbous straight ahead
acting as a third headlight

the grass is never greener anywhere
but we seem to like it that way
rising sun playing hide & seek
with disappearing moon
speeding toward the next county line
half your head outside the window




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
25 Mar 2020
6 Comments

diary of a woman with wings


child of the southern sun
desires stir within
centuries pass
outer appearance changing
minute by minute
egg to feather to sparrow
sparrow to crow to raptor
circling and circling
even higher like an angel
ushering in the darkness
stars falling one after another
trillions of fireflies turn into lightning
piercing hidden clouds
and striking naked trees
rapturing the soil
fertilizing sterile seeds




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Poetry and tagged ,
24 Mar 2020
2 Comments

essential workers wearing knockoff sunglasses


I seem to have lost my place in line
maybe that’s not a bad thing
could be better than losing your mind

I used to walk tall among the masses
but now I’m mostly an island
deep inside these inner city streets

whenever I happen upon another
strange & solitary wanderer
my eyes tend to focus on the concrete
for fear any visual contact may spark
unwarranted reactions

I hide all needless valuables
somewhere inside my workstation
where I fill half my day with imagination

the river is only a few blocks away
I close my eyes and venture outside
believing this time I can make it




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged ,
23 Mar 2020

river crossing


lawlessness in all its mad glory
is bound to resurface
as it has repeatedly done
since the beginning of creation

here take my hand
and follow me across the river
to where there is a sense of security
despite the lack of governance

it’s easy to see what they’ve done
once you reach the other side
a collection of ordinary citizens
freely going about their business

you ask how it’s possible this place
lacks crime and pollution
especially with unrestricted borders
and skies that never cry

of course there’s no one answer
and once we arrive and look back
at what we’ve fled
there’s nothing left to recognize




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
21 Mar 2020

a purple kind of day


she stood silent in the walk-in closet
shoulder-length hair wet & combed
clothed in white panties & bralette
finger pressed against lower lip
casually calculating multiple
color combinations

there was no question is was a
purple kind of day
that pious & royal & mysterious
intermediate color
created by combining red & blue
and a little bit of sunshine

only one choice remained
what complementary color would
best bring out her wistful mood
whether traditional yellow
or better yet a softer pink
accentuating her rare allure




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
20 Mar 2020

twenty stories tall


some hypothetical trees are hard to fall
madmen with chainsaws & ropes & pulleys
make calculations and smoke cigarettes
from sunup to sundown they undertake
this nearly impossible task

this one must be made of steel
one of them says
the rest nodding in agreement
scratching their heads and looking skywards

it’s only a matter of time another says
and they bow their heads in silence
grasping the gravity of their predicament




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
19 Mar 2020
4 Comments

springtime festivals


things that crash and clash
like overbought stock markets
and preposterous accessories
blowing up in a single session
and overtaking empty streets
where st. patrick day parades
weave in and out of the hearts
of plump little girls and boys
scooping up wrapped candy
thrown by spooks in makeshift floats
clad in green and grey spacesuits
pants pockets turned inside out




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,
18 Mar 2020

gregarious like the locust


why am I stuck here
without an internet connection

flipping through imaginary channels
that once calmed my nerves

but now all that I have is fear

that instinctive natural state
changing me into something I’m not
making me want to bust out onto the scene

like when the short-horned grasshopper
gregariously morphs into the locust

taking over entire fields
systematically moving onto the next

devouring and decimating everything
in its inexhaustible path

their offspring released within the swarm
waxing their wings and singing
alleluia be not afraid




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
17 Mar 2020
9 Comments

problematic at best


you’re like a hologram
I see you and then I don’t
popping in and out at your leisure
green eyes staring me down
or your slender self in my peripheral
back against the wall and arms
extended down your sides

these uncertain times
remind me of the twilight zone
take your pick ~ any episode
or the song itself
exploring offshoot worlds
conveying new ideas in old ways

what if I told you
this is how it will always be
using made up words
and accepting new discoveries
like the congregation of trolls
beneath the quintessential bridge
rewinding yarns and drawing straws




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
16 Mar 2020

Trying to Remember Her Name


I saw you board the greyhound
in Little America some forty-one years ago
a naturally beautiful young woman
if I had ever seen one

I had just turned seventeen
and was on my way to San Francisco
that is after changing my ticket
which was originally destined for Fresno
where I had planned to find work
and blend in with the college crowd

I’d already been confined inside my
self-contrived conveyance
for a full twenty-four hours
and even though most of my traveling
companions thought I was much older
you were the first to join our party
remotely close to my own age

The next stop was Salt Lake City
at the most brilliant station in the world
and lo & behold there we were
talking outside in the fresh January air
as if we’d known each other for years
you telling me about your life and death
operation at the university hospital
followed by me attempting to explain
why I’m continuously on the run




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
15 Mar 2020

buried out back


where do we begin
or shall we say
where do we go from here
now that we’ve uncovered
the strongbox

it blows my mind how deep
it was buried
in the backyard
but metal detectors never lie
and garden spades
last a lifetime

we’ve vowed not opening
the damn thing until everyone
makes it back home
and it matters not
if they arrive dead or alive




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
13 Mar 2020

a good night’s sleep


here we go again
plunging into the red
walls caving in and ceiling dropping
I lift my hands above my head
prolonging the inevitable
yelling at everyone to get out
get out

no it’s not a dream
this sickening viral nightmare
evolving like a self fulfilling prophecy
spawned from out of nothing
each passing hour growing darker
eyelids fluttering faster
than is humanly possible

it’s a symmetrical world
we work and play and sleep in
sometimes working in our favor
but mainly indifferent to our
desires and insecurities
a stark reminder how we all need
to get a good night’s sleep




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
11 Mar 2020

reunited


two humans landlocked
on the only continent
left on earth

it is like an island
surrounded by four oceans
but the fact remains

it is a continent
larger than a little planet
as if south america

and africa were conjoined
reunited if you will
adding to the complexity

of a dying planet needing
more trees and moisture
and sunlight

two humans walking
hand in hand
retracing their footsteps

back to the garden
to the one and the only
how can this story ever end




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
10 Mar 2020

WAIT


I’m rediscovering sugars and spices
and some things not so nice
I ask myself how many combinations
can I put on a simple slice of toast
how many times can I count down from ten
before saying WAIT
let’s try starting all over again
and see if we come up with a different answer

for decades we’ve been chasing moons
and wishing upon stars
just look where it’s gotten us
another year older and none too wiser
eventually discounting every fairy tale
we once believed in
until finally we say WAIT
it’s high time we make up our own

doctor says I’ve got to change my ways
I tell her I most certainly will
another lie in the grand scheme of things
I rush home and sit in an empty room
light up the pipe and WAIT
for you to return into my life
curious how actions once considered sinful
have now become legal




march two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment

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