wandering eyes drift toward faraway places
beyond the most restrictive boundaries
where all the gods’ offspring continuously
compete for your complete attention
august two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I have this cat in a bag with no intentions
of ever letting out
lest I be ridiculed or bullied about
it’s nothing remotely earth-shattering
but it’s private and I’ve
considered burying it one last time
but when opening the bag
he gives out this god-awful sound
that only a mother could love
of course I release him to the wild
praying we’ll meet up again
one day
august two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
open the windows and let cold air in
infiltrating your comfort zone and chilling
your most heated and desperate thoughts
I know not what raises your condition
bringing your ideas to simmering boil
followed by mind-numbing afterburn
I’ve spotted your face in the passing clouds
sliver of a silver moon peek-a-booing
songbirds praising your inner beauty
although impossible to keep you close
I’ve kept your photographs frozen in my mind
turning them into moving pictures
this cold air is bound to heat up again
meanwhile I huddle inside heavy blankets
waiting for winter solstice to show
july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
sex and drugs and rock n roll
depleted all my dopamine
but avocados and good night sleep
keep hopes alive for revival
dreams breathing shallowly
caught in shadows that barely move
needing a burst of starlight
to awaken adrenal and expose
black and white and all the greys
may not readily reminisce
for without increasing libido
so many struggle to coexist
july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
author’s note:
“There are about 86 billion neurons in the human brain. They communicate with each other via brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Dopamine is a major neurotransmitter that’s a key factor in motivation, productivity, and focus. It’s dopamine that provides the zest for life. Lifestyle habits, diet, and illness can deplete your dopamine, sapping the joy out of life. If you aren’t living life to the fullest, a low dopamine level may be the reason. There are many ways you can increase dopamine naturally.”
stories pass and songs are sung
little ones clinging to knees
apparently knowing the words
hungover and unable to cheer
with the same voracity as just
a few hours before
there is this gradual awakening
like morning dew evaporating
they shut it down before I had the
chance to prove to anyone
I had already seen her face
flowers in hand and behind my back
brighter than the day before
july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there’s no use in trying to fight it
the future is destined to be
accept it with open arms and meld
a piece of it with your own hands
ancient tools still in use today
designed to assist in art and science
work at unlocking those strands
designed to seek and destroy
unraveling mysteries without clues
time travels with or without you
buckling you in when you cannot
and taking pictures along the way
july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
of course the aliens always love to come here
to commingle and make babies
and stop by the coffee shop to catch up on
all the latest goings-on
decades have passed before any radical
changes transpired transparently
subtle reminders that you are a mere
shadow of your former self
but those aliens they are an odd lot
fitting in so seamlessly
quietly stealing souls and trading
them in for a song and a dance
july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
he said they knew the train was coming
but prayed it would never arrive
I said I always steer clear of tracks
especially on moonlit nights
sun’s power weakens like temporary
madness invading your sleep
one day if not the next memories
become fuel for locomotion
july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she asked me to inspire her
but I was incapable
having become exhausted from a
fortnight of self-deprivation
you’re so boring she says
and I nod in agreement
anxious but not really
especially after agreeing
to give eating another try
I bought some grapes she said
but there are seeds in them
I hope you don’t mind
of course I mind I said to myself
for once beginning to understand
what it means not to be heard
july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
joseph had been missing for many
days and the sheriff told lois
mary was a person of interest
she kept insisting he had called
an uber driver the day before
to pick up their son in san salvador
but no such records ever existed
according to law enforcement
but law enforcement had nothing
to do with their predicament
that is being trapped inside
a jesus christ superstar song
july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s a quiet enough street
designed by some fool who
hated utility poles and
loved to throw horseshoes
of course he passed away
like any good fool does
and I took his place
at the top of the arc
an area of nonoccurrence
where delivery men know my
neighbors better than anyone
I came across his writings
and drawings when digging out
forget-me-nots that had been
taking over my life
bringing time to a standstill
and consuming my inclinations
with unfounded imaginings
july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
clearly he sought a connection
one in which nobody in the world
could ever have dreamed
how quickly one learns stars are stirred
beneath the belly of its creator
like a newly born burrowing mammal
drawn to its first light
and so he imagined there were only
three worlds to discover
the second of which
lies upon the surface itself
july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I knew once my skin had broken
things would be changing quickly
I quietly ducked down below
to retrieve a sweater
arriving back on deck I felt quite
comfortable beneath endless starlight
in my mind I was witnessing a new
moon rising half-way across the world
july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
be still thy heart and think of me
whenever summer breeze
brushes up against your face
long and weary are road and sky
going solo in search of love
virtual destinations unknown
time sits motionless inside looking glass
like magical portal to new worlds
casting lasting impressions
july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’ve no idea where you’ve been
but you keep telling me I appear
in and out of your crystal ball
I hadn’t checked on my horoscope
in over a week
mostly because I kept getting it
wrong on a daily basis
There is this map room I’m not
supposed to know about
even though it appears
to be common knowledge
I decided not to go there
instead stuck to my instincts
walking along the riverfront
like I do most every night
attempting to connect the dots
buried deep beyond the stars
july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the cease fire was nothing
more than fake news
declared by gluttonous warlords
seeking enigmatic furloughs for
scores of armies needing to be fed
meanwhile acid attacks continue
at an alarming rate
terrorizing a cautious citizenry
keeping pace with an expanding
and luxurious underground
whole cities no longer exist
while even more slowly crumble
subjected to a stronger will
and dying to be rehabilitated by
way of artistic interpretation
july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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