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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “poem”

23 Mar 2019
2 Comments

I do not belong here


how many times must it start this way
believing you with the benefit of the doubt
all the while knowing fact from fiction
whether wide awake or safely dreaming

two crickets sang in the middle of the night
a melodious sound imitating my breathing
a repetitious shrill subconsciously inviting

it doesn’t take much to awaken me anymore
a touch of the shoulder or kiss on the cheek
oh how I want to believe you are forever near
quietly shadowing me every step of the way





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
22 Mar 2019
5 Comments

counting down from ten


I’ve so much to say [to say]
but somehow it all remains
bottled up inside
and so I find myself
walking along the shoreline
taking mental notes
and stuffing them inside
glass vessels
sending them off blindly
into the cold [cold] world

there came a time I could
walk on water
and make blind men see
but those days
have come and gone
and I find myself repeating
words and phrases
that once gave me comfort
when our days [and nights]
were so much simpler





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
21 Mar 2019

gathering kindling


no stopping us now after coming this far
having broken the cycle and chains of a past
once preventing life from moving forward

why should we wait for death to awaken us
isn’t there more to stars than mere refractions
exactly brought on upon by chain reactions

how many experiences must we accumulate
whether individually or as a collective
before finally realizing all is one in the same





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
20 Mar 2019
4 Comments

REM Sleep


I told everyone we were married
that you were my wife
that we had met on a rainy night
somewhere in paradise
and it was love at first sight

Although none of this is true
her image forever remains
stamped in my mind
projected on ceilings and walls
as I hopelessly roam
from room to room
in my futile attempts
to bring her back into my life





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged ,
19 Mar 2019
8 Comments

bluebird missing outside my window


today I shall shed a tear
and attempt this thing
called poetry

a half a world away
you lived
though I swear you were
next door
scratching out words
for all the world to read
one morning
one day
one night at a time

there comes a time
when the bird no longer
tweets her morning song
and is it then you come to realize
we’re no different from one another
no different than the branch
is to the bough
no different than the song
is to the bird
more melodious than ever
lamenting outside
our southern window



march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Poetry and tagged ,
18 Mar 2019

in due time


before silence takes over
your former self
consider conquering it
on your own terms
in your own sweet time

before silence takes over
[the entire world]
consider taming your own
wicked thoughts
rehabilitating them
from feral tangents
into purposeful intentions
worthy of imitating

fear not the silence
towering over your domain
find comfort knowing
she’s been with you
since the very beginning





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
17 Mar 2019
2 Comments

year of the cat


she practices her violin
sitting on the spinet bench
scratching out imperfections
into the midday air

outside it’s raining softly
bookend bay windows
slightly cranked open
letting sounds in and out

the law of attraction
is a two-way street
all the strays standing tall
from the peanut gallery
watching the house favorite
rubbing ankles
with the star of the show





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
16 Mar 2019
4 Comments

cease fire


who shall we condemn today
and who shall we elevate
picking and choosing
like gods openly playing favorites

how many times must we surrender
until peace reigns on earth
and how many times must our
hearts be tested before
proving our intentions are true

and those gods who willfully
come and go at their leisure
who’s to say they’re not the ones
continually adding fuel to the fire



march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , ,
15 Mar 2019
2 Comments

an exercise of the least possible


I’ve been keeping my thoughts
to the slightest of late
hoping to quiet my outer space
while improving the blood flow
giving my inner self a break
from all the distractions
coming at me from all directions

I keep waiting on the chance
for the sun to sing me a new song
one allowing my mind
to retreat into relative ease
keeping my intentions at bay
and my heart center
beating at a bare minimum





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
14 Mar 2019
3 Comments

this place is sacred


eyes blink rapidly like wings
of a bird taking flight
shaking loose cobwebs stitched
delicately throughout the night

though the shades are drawn
sunlight leaks in from cracks
in the window panes
stretched thin over time

house frame beams and sighs
breathing a little easier
since having no place to go
like oak tree outside the window

movements aplenty in and out
like apparitions in the hallway
a pair of cardinals on the bough
welcoming heavenly visitors





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
13 Mar 2019
6 Comments

before you do


won’t you please
make another pot of tea
and stay with me awhile

we can try on
those thinking caps
the ones I told you about
last time you were here
the ones I bought at the
flea market back when
you were just a child

or we can dial up
another sci-fi movie and
marvel at the special effects
like we used to do
all the while sharing
some buttered popcorn
never saying a single word

but if you must move on
that much I understand
but won’t you please please please
start another pot for me
before you do





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
12 Mar 2019

guilty by design


how do you capture such moments
involved in the ordinary course of events
seemingly normal amongst the masses
but once retracted in your very own space
feeling cornered and desperately alone

and so you pick up whatever instrument
that happens to be at your disposal
scratching at the very surface that scares you
recreating designs and inventing words
only your inner self could ever understand





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
11 Mar 2019
5 Comments

on the fringes picking up pieces


you see me in your dream
taking notes on the sidelines
while the rest of the gang
sit on high like a panel of judges
or a murder of crows
calling on the next witness

I keep my wings tucked
inside my black jacket
pacing back and forth
along the roadside
keeping my mouth shut
and pretending I’m all alone

you’re the only one
recognizing me for who I am
perfectly capable of joining
your little inner circle
but modestly more at ease
scavenging on my own terms





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Dreams, Poetry and tagged , ,
10 Mar 2019
6 Comments

reflections in the night


two score after the destruction of civility
a strange peace swept across the planet

it was the year twenty ninety-five
and all major technological advances
of the past 100 years had been laid to rest

I was a mere teenager living off the land
somewhere in africa or asia or america
the exact location dependent upon
the moment my implant became inoperative

instinctively I became one with the sun
the moon and all the stars of the sky
gradually coming to realize I am nothing
but a child of all generations past
born to light a candle each and every night





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
09 Mar 2019
2 Comments

unlikely guardians


who will speak to me next
as if in tomorrow
standing here on the ground
looking up
bird’s nest in the open air
curious cat in my peripheral

I realize I’m not alone anymore
it only feels that way
stepping out of my skin
for the very first time
and looking back
through a bottomless mirror

so it seems the bird and cat
have been chosen
to encourage me on
one pushing
the other pulling
both bickering
in their own beautiful way





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Birds, Poetry and tagged , , ,
08 Mar 2019
5 Comments

painting Venus


she said I’m quite mad and it was
all I could do not to disagree

we’d been playing with ideas involving
tongues and keeping our eyes closed

there was nothing for us outside
save sunshine and possibilities

I’m tired of keeping my eyes closed
I said while sticking out my tongue

I’m tired of you being quite mad
she said crossing her pale white legs

as I returned to the canvas
she started singing like an angel





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,

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