I’ve not kept pace with current
events or the latest trends
their importance taking a back seat
to larger issues begging explanation
such as the meteoric rise of trigger happy maniacs
unleashing a wave of unforgiving tipping points
turning my little corner of the world
into something other than beautiful
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I spent most of the morning
digging up memories from the garden
separating and transplanting
and finding just the right spot
for their next resting place
some were more difficult than others
each an exercise of elimination
both in body and in mind
rest assured I’ll be at ease
once the next keeper takes over
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I forgive and forget
it’s easy to do
or so the birds of the sky
tell me so
they speak to me often
believing I’m not listening
but I fool them
and take everything in
there’s nothing to forgive
ergo nothing to forget
I keep telling myself
like a man in a trance
when I’m alone
the birds of the sky
keep me company
they think I don’t notice
but I most certainly do
as time passes
they learn to trust and believe
feeding from my hand
as I stand like a statue in the wind
my eyes fixed
above the setting sun
they speak about life
and speak about death
but when I ask what will come next
their chatting becomes silence
and I am left to imagine
all on my own
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
You ask me so I tell you
usually not the right answer
but I’m okay with that
even though you’re not
What does it take to clear your mind
have you suddenly taken off lately
gone to places you’ve dared to dream
far away from mathematicians
[or have you been sitting idling by
expecting the stars to come to you]
We’re strangers no longer you and I
reunited if you will
casting spells and waging forces
against an undefined enemy
It seems so complicated
like an elliptical galaxy
but like anything else
there’s always an easy answer
like buying a ticket to Saturn
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s friday early evening
I wonder which will arrive first
the train ride home or impending rain
I’ve not an umbrella
still possess the morning paper
folded and tucked under my armpit
muted conversations
suddenly become animated
6:15 arriving like a lion enters spring
lightning chasing her tail
I notice my shoelace
a tug away from snapping in two
before standing tall
I take a chance and reach to retie
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
believe me when I tell you I am free
unburied and unchained and finally me
burdens that once had me grounded
lifted by an unknown sleight of hand
no longer a piece of property
you may or may not ever see me again
now that I’m free to rediscover myself
experimenting with consciousness
and subconsciously exploring
past and present and future places
whether or not I return here is unknown
but today I make a promise to you
whatever happens from this point
until the proverbial end of time
we will remain strangely inseparable
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
why do I keep going back to the well
when I know the well is dry
what is it exactly I’m expecting
some sort of miracle
here at the eleventh hour
as if I deserve some sort of payback
I stopped saying my prayers
somewhere along the line
stopped worshiping in the traditional sense
thinking maybe it’s best
if I’m not seen hanging out
with all the other sinners
but lately I’ve been thinking
of unpacking my bags
of picking up speaking to god again
of course I know I’m fooling myself
thinking such foolish thoughts
knowing full well I’ve been
down this road before
the one in which I convince myself
this time things will be different
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
remember way back when
making noise with anything
we could get our hands on
seems I’m still trying to do that
without even realizing
out back in the sandbox
sometimes we play nice
sometimes not so much
depending upon
what’s up for grabs
oh how I cried when my
queen conch was stolen
in broad daylight
her smile and stories
stripped away in a heartbeat
fast forwarding into a future
where the night remains fixed
I find comfort knowing
so too will the moon
and all she has to hide
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she speaks to me
in a language
only I understand
it’s been like this
since before I was born
she ignores me
when I’m angry
and comforts me
when I’m somber
abandons me
when I’m selfish
and believes in me
when I’m sincere
even though I’ve
treated her unfairly
on many occasion
she’s always given me
the benefit of the doubt
having loved me the length
of so many lifetimes
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it was a hot dog kind of day
not the kind you buy in the grocery store
but the meaty ones from a push cart
or your local neighborhood tavern
served any which way you like
with corn fritos and your favorite beverage
it was an indiscreet
and unsuspicious kind of day
one in which you can express your feelings
without exaggeration or superficiality
go ahead and pick one
out of 35 variations
or better yet create your own
like the way you used to do
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
weekend planner says it’s time to
unplug and slip into a future
where part of the solution
comes from those with all the money
in a world full of greed
when does it stop spinning
so we can take stock
at least of for a moment
of what we got
as far as poverty and housing
and footwear is concerned
steve miller once proclaimed in song
there’s a solution
but that was over forty years ago
and though it keeps playing on air
nobody’s been exactly listening
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I was looking for some sort of sign
a little something to let me know
you were alive and well
as the electrical storm rolled in
I could detect your precious thoughts
coming through in fits and starts
though the pain in my hands
worsened from the impending doom
I managed to subdue my foreboding
whilst transcribing reassuring poetry
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
do you remember me
I was the one who died in his
sleep last night
as I recall you were with me
and I had pleaded
that you slow things down
but we went veering off the path anyway
projected into an orbit
defying quantum mechanics
it wasn’t the first time
I went sailing off into space
never to return
the world below me gradually
becoming smaller
the next one
suddenly
becoming familiar
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’ve not walked on water for so long
I’m beginning to fear it may
never happen again
contemplating such improbabilities
I’m often carried back in time
becoming water in the pail
transported from the river to village
once among the populace
I’m both a god and commodity
bringing smiles to little ones’ faces
and comfort to the weary
but if I had a choice
I’d remain at the water’s edge
hoping for a chance to walk again
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
somehow the world’s lost
its song
gone in an instant
snatched away
like a pet or child
left unattended
tragic they call it
on the evening news
search parties gathering
spreading from county to county
and country to country
across fields and woods
bodies of water and coldwater streams
people from all places
holding vigils and praying
all for a song
how did it come to this
one song garnering such attention
such affection
such affiliation
as if it had the power
to tame the savage beast
and bring peace on earth
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’m lost again
in a sea of assumptions
afloat on a timeless journey
neither tired nor alert
but perfectly at ease
oh my captain
long abandoned ship
surrendering in theory
in a bloodless coup
now subject to discovery
amid so many
I’ve never felt so lonely
going about my daily routine
in quiet contemplation
in search of land or my lord
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 