jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “poem”

17 Jun 2019

the wounded marionette


it was hard to see the strings
stuffed inside his rucksack
as he rode the train from one town
to the next
all slumped over and needing
a miracle or two
to bring him back to his former self

they stopped the bleeding
back on the battlefield
stitched him up as best they could
sending him on his merry way
cross bar and all

staring out at the countryside
he went in and
out of consciousness
the landscape as desolate as his thoughts
leading him to wonder if the good doctor
would be able to save
his most precious possessions




june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
16 Jun 2019

chasing idealism with or without wings


out of thin air resides reality
like a butterfly suddenly taking flight
reminding you of days gone by
when every moment mattered

you take a stab at it
that imperceptible tipping point
hoping to reel it in and relive
a particular space in time

your subconscious orbit
always seems to get you there
but every time you awaken
the outcome never changes
and the butterfly lives on




june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
15 Jun 2019
4 Comments

early evening reading


it’s early she said
there’s plenty of time to recreate
the world as you know it
won’t you take a long break
and come play with me

from what I could gather
she’s the one wanting to recreate
that which she’s been reading
nearly naked on the bed for an hour now
her freshly shaven legs
like parallel images of crescent moons




june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
14 Jun 2019

wildflowers in the wind


I wish to be intimate with ideas
that have yet to materialize
brought on by a slight breeze
brushing against my cheek
and slightly opening my eyes

out of thin air they arrive
and mysteriously disappear
incomplete thoughts needing
nurturing and time to mature
like sporadic seeds in the air

I wonder how they’ll affect me
these intimately idyllic ideas
existing in the peripheral
occasionally testing my mettle
as if they know me better than me




june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
12 Jun 2019
6 Comments

white flag


she’s in my head now
[how can she not be]
having gone off to war
without saying goodbye

she’s off to change the world
oh how I want to tell her
[but never will I speak]
how there’s nothing
left to change
only pieces to be moved

lately I’ve been dreaming
of tanks and bombs and drones
awakening my bones like clockwork
[in the year nineteen ninety-one]
waving a white flag
and bringing her back home




june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , ,
11 Jun 2019
4 Comments

forgotten isle


I did not mean to forget
but the years have a way
of hiding that which should be visible
like storms concealing waves
so very close to shore

will you ever forgive me
after forgetting to keep you in mind
having skipped away
from one stone to the next
testing the limits of time

it’s not that I’ve been lost before
but this time must be real
as if exiled on a forgotten island
where neither moon nor sun
shall no longer call me friend




june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
09 Jun 2019

last supper


what will it be today
she asked
a line well-rehearsed

he said he wasn’t ready
and she walked away

it was freaky windy outside
and even though
no windows could be opened
the blue curtains did blow

he knew the menu
by heart
but he read it over and over again
as if for the last time




june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
08 Jun 2019

reworking dark love songs


I’ve been testing the limits of creation
laying down disco tracks and
introducing new lyrics certain
to get you up and dancing

I’ve been listening to ‘one of
these nights’ and practicing
the high harmony parts as if
I was a prepubescent teenager

I’ve been waiting by the telephone
line and thinking about your eyes
writing down every single line
entering my unmethodical mind




june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
06 Jun 2019
7 Comments

working on a masterpiece


it wasn’t long ago I was certain
I wasn’t long for this world
and I remember asking myself
is this all there is to life
a series of interconnected dots
sometimes beautifully displayed
other times awfully disjointed
in the end leaving you dumbfounded
exactly how it was you managed
to get from point A to point B

how many times have I told myself
I’m not the same person I was
ten years ago
and today I ask the very same question
knowing full well the future
is simply an elaborate idea
and the past is nothing but
an unfinished painting
that consistently needs retouching




june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
05 Jun 2019
4 Comments

fruit of the vine


your imagination started
long before creation
inspired by compositions
streaming through space

emerging from the dark
you selectively choose
what comes naturally
like the ripest apples
hanging on the vine





june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , ,
04 Jun 2019

breaking away


I try not to overthink it
this place where I’ll be born
whether made simply
or woven intricately
it matters not to the world

from what I understand
others are born in knot holes
or shallow depressions in the sand
kept warm by nature
and a mother’s instincts

I doubt I shall ever remember
that from which I came
crowded and loud and loitering
most of us focused on vying
to be first to break free





june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
03 Jun 2019

strangers passing by


there were four of them
marching down the sidewalk
a band of brothers and sisters
as if on a mission from god

it was quitting time and I was
getting into my car as they
were swiftly approaching

to get a closer look
I used my rear view mirror
and then directly outside my window
as they passed by excitedly

they were talking to one another
laughing and smiling and seemingly
unconcerned about privacy

though I somehow understood
every single word they said
their demeanor and inclinations
told me they must be aliens

and before they made it to the corner
their aura pixelated and dissipated
like a mysterious fog quickly lifting





june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Dogma, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
02 Jun 2019
3 Comments

stranger in a foreign land


I’ve lost my way or so it seems
streets and faces anything but familiar
I fear I may have awakened from
another man’s dream
transplanted if you may
and tasked to piece together a past
found in this place and time

I did not ask for this life
but neither do I recall the former
where people knew my name
and I learned to grow old reluctantly

but now I find myself young again
sensing purpose in my gait
as I continue to weave
my way through this
city of diversity
beginning to believe
there is purpose yet to be found





june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, In the City, Poetry and tagged ,
01 Jun 2019
6 Comments

temporaneous


and so I stayed home and polished the rock
until it shined like never before

birds of the air and small animals made of clay
watched with curious eyes as I
placed the gem at the base of the garden stream

before too long the elements took its toll
on the once shiniest rock on the planet
and gradually one by one
birds of the air and small animals made of clay
lost interest in my efforts
eventually carrying on with their lives





june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Birds, Poetry and tagged , ,
30 May 2019
3 Comments

theory of a black hole


birth is like a microscopic bang
transmitting near-silent primal waves
quickly creating its very own tiny galaxy

struggles elapse in the background
ongoing and inaudible to the human mind
unmistakable to the almighty creator

to what degree the energy advances
is an invaluable period of time
[no matter the linear length]
from the very start to infinitesimal finish





may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , ,
29 May 2019
4 Comments

twenty-one questions


what wouldn’t I give to have her
standing beside me as equals
memorialized in photography
hand in hand and slightly smiling
leaving the onlooker wondering

people believe what they want to
be they of royal blood or privileged
commingling among the masses
like commoners on market square
as if no hierarchy or caste system exists

by invitation only or by chance anyone
may find us having tea in the rose garden
passing along taffy and king trumpets
and half-heartedly laughing
answering any and all questions





may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →