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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “poem”

15 Jul 2017
15 Comments

long way to Belfast


I’ve not been eating for a few days now
and yes I feel perfectly fine

the bananas on the counter have
been ripening nicely
I’m just waiting patiently
until the peels are beautifully black

I stopped eating potatoes years ago
replaced by a voracious
appetite for bright red cherry tomatoes

we always said we’d meet up
somewhere in northern california
or portland oregon
maybe for a day and a few nights
before taking flight to Fiji

from there we could go anywhere
as long as we ended
exactly where we started
according to both our DNAs





july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
14 Jul 2017
2 Comments

invasive species


there’re so many ways to keep score
you do it your way I’ll do it mine

those thousands dying from war each day
could care less about climate change

cool winds and secret agent men
come and go from man-made skyscrapers

continental shifts and breakaway ice
only separate us more

tug of war versus mother nature’s pull
nobody’s always winning

today’s swords turn into swallows
flying high at the magician’s command



july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
13 Jul 2017
6 Comments

shades of silver and gold


I’m going to take them with me
each and every one of them
I’m going to box them up neatly
like the prettiest set of flowers
ever assembled
and present them with humility
to the spirit of the skies



july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
12 Jul 2017
2 Comments

lord of the flowers


mighty clouds bulbous and swelling
swarming through dark starless skies
spinning tales of menace and fear
choosing who lives and who dies

little ones crisscross through cornfields
chasing monarch butterflies
free of cares above or below
on this earth or otherwise

what keeps your faith resurrecting
my dear flower of surprise
oh how you entertain greatness
amidst the deceit and lies



july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
11 Jul 2017
12 Comments

there comes a time


rumor had it Sir Isaac Newton
moved back downtown
ate and drank and conversed
amongst the commoners

early in the morning he walked
against the grain
waving at joggers he met
along the way to green square

there the rays of the rising sun
warmed the giant circular sculpture
made of copper and radiating

and there he sat
taking notes and making drawings
looking up and looking down
and looking straight away
convinced he could solve it all
if only he had more time



july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged ,
10 Jul 2017
6 Comments

staging an abduction


it seemed like yesterday you said
fear sweet talking people
steer clear their way

but the next day you were gone
abducted some say
by an alien troupe

months passed before we decided
to sell your stuff on ebay
(except for the whisky and blue jeans)
though later became confident
it was you who bought them

each year on the eve of your disappearance
most all the neighbors
put a candle in the window
but as time passed
nearly nobody knew why



july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Poetry and tagged ,
09 Jul 2017
6 Comments

the neighbors part two


what she needs is a spade
to rid herself of thistles
growing deep along the foundation

chopping them down with a sickle
certainly won’t do the trick
but I’m not gonna say a word
lest I be ridiculed

perhaps there’s nothing tragic
going on about the weeds
could it be that their flowers
are simply misunderstood



july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
08 Jul 2017
2 Comments

heeding the call of anarchy


we could hear the bell tolling
clear like stars at midnight

but it was midday
and the sun was hotter
than it’s ever been
and the horses were in the barn
resting after having been run
all night long

I’m not going back out
I said to the others
and none of them answered back

it’s not that I’m quitting
I went on to say
opening the cellar door
it’s just that there are so few of us
and we are all in need of
filling our bellies



july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
07 Jul 2017
7 Comments

waiting for the midnight train


you reach out and touch things that don’t exist
it’s something you always did
and something you’ll always continue to do

I speak of things in past tense because
living in the moment is just too much
except when it is absolutely idyllic

sometimes you step backwards
just to see if it can be done
and I say to you
there you go again turning back time

I’ve grown old too many times
but it doesn’t bother me anymore
how I can recall your name with a
snap of the finger
even though I’ve never met you



july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
06 Jul 2017
4 Comments

Off to Mars


There is loneliness in your words
but your vocal chords
tell me otherwise

I swear you’re one of me
a scorpio without a doubt
but you insist on saying otherwise
refusing to show me
your driver’s license or caller ID

Oh but that was so long ago
in a world that barely existed
how we refused to face the music when
we danced alone
hundreds surrounding us

We are like Lily and Bee
having come this far
nothing to sacrifice



july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
05 Jul 2017
6 Comments

things will look brighter in the morning


I could care less about fireworks
or trips to poland
or face to face meetings between
elected dictators

the neighbors look especially cautious
having invitation-only block parties
and seemingly grinning at those they hate

I wish I could forget about the wars
but with all this weather going on
it’s just a perfect reminder how
thousands are dying before their time

tipping points may or may not come to fruition
but in the meantime dramatic world-wide
crashes are certain to spawn modern day prophets
declaring the next golden age is at hand



july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged ,
04 Jul 2017
7 Comments

how I miss her so


she told me I needed to go do
something before dinner
so I went to my room and prayed

she was my mother and
of course there was no room
but regardless I left the
premises and prayed

along the way I found interesting
things to pick up
but each piece I brought home
served no purpose

you should stick with praying
she said

and so I agreed



july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , ,
03 Jul 2017
3 Comments

controlled burning


sunspot settles into eight o’clock
quite content hanging out there
for as long as I can recall

in the field old men split seasoned wood
boys gather and stack neatly
building towers three times their size

birds and clouds passing by routinely
aided by westerly breeze
pushing forward suspended sun

transitioning perfectly seamless
natural light surrenders
controlled flames reaching for the stars



july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
02 Jul 2017
7 Comments

inside the rest of the story


he opened the oversized book halfway
and started to read midsentence
enunciating every single word perfectly

though the story had been told before
those wandering or lollygagging
suddenly stopped their senselessness
focused upon their sense of sound

it may not always be obvious but it is there
lingering in the background
muted or amplified or completely cut off
but whatever the circumstance
it will never leave your world

(but what of the rest of the story
all the little ones reiterated to the reader
their curious minds wanting to know
their voices quivering)



july two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
30 Jun 2017
4 Comments

a matter of black and white


he said she was dying
though it was not the first time
and by the time I got there
everybody had left

gone dancing they all did
as I would come to later understand
once re-released from custody

madonna had been dead for years
I tried to explain to anyone
(who would listen)
but I could go no further
having sworn allegiance to silence

I am certain I was framed
but unable to present proof
other than once a black sheep
always an easy target





june two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
29 Jun 2017
4 Comments

katydid


who’s that singing me to sleep
these late summer eves
waxing and waning like the moon
but oh so minuscule

good vibrations commingle
between life and death
cycling for the better every year
give or take a lunar month

hopping from tree to tree
from bush to shrub
petal to rejuvenated petal
tempted by the bluejay
and coaxed by the stream
making friends with frogs and mice
anything honestly faced along the way




june two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,

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