jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “poem”

07 Feb 2015
7 Comments

obscure crimes and self-inflicted wounds


that man you once knew
full of anger and pride and misguided
intentions
he’s gone now

I made sure of it

I got him drunk on his own whiskey
and drove him far out of town
kicked him out with just a knapsack
and a flashlight and a pocketful of change
told him to never dare come back

I was just glad I didn’t have
to threaten him with my pistol
and as soon as I get stitched up
and cleared to go home
I’m going to bury that damn
thing out back
for the very last time





february two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
06 Feb 2015
2 Comments

may day in the night sky


high speeds through clouds made of ice
wings molting then unraveling
hands grasping for someplace to land
as bodies busily spin in darkness
like lost souls in space mountains

with no time for substantive thoughts to evolve
time stands still for a matter of forever

twisted turning steel opens triangular windows
disappears into a brand new universe
while every living thing in its path
expands and contracts like a comet’s tail
breaking apart only to reconnect



february two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
04 Feb 2015
2 Comments

this constant reinventing is nonsense


it worried him so
how everything would get done
believed the night owl never slept
believed the early worm
glowed in the dark for all to see
but nobody saw
and that worried him

too many goals
too many milestones to achieve
and to what end he asked himself while
pumping cheap gas into his cheap car
pontificating to himself
how worlds away
men were setting men on fire

it’s bad enough
I’ve got to live my own life
but what about all the next lives
I’ve got to endure
how I am supposed to make it through
all of them he asked himself

back on the street
he takes one bad turn
and before he knows it
he’s speeding down streets
never before seen
streets turning into boulevards
turning into avenues
into alleyways leading
to dead ends

just like in past lives inside virtual worlds
he loses himself yet again
the cabin of the car flashing red
tempting him to start all over again



february two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
31 Jan 2015
8 Comments

never a dull moment


I saw that young grey squirrel
all winter long
chasing cars and
scaring dogs on leashes
jumping at them from out of nowhere
then zigzagging here then there
zipping out of sight laughing

I imagined he had stashes of nuts
all over the neighborhood
because he always looked
lean and mean
more energetic than any winter
squirrel I ever did see
scampering all over like it was spring

on days when the magic seemingly
runs dry I wish I could
reach into his bag of tricks
pull out a masterpiece that
makes you suddenly hit the brakes
sending your sedan swerving
over the curb and
slamming into your own snowman



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
28 Jan 2015
2 Comments

antarctica


colder than I could have ever imagined
here I am walking among the gentoo
as if exploring another planet

I came here to die but decided
there was too much to live for
as long as I couldn’t get out of this place



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
26 Jan 2015
8 Comments

the start of a brand new day


there’s something missing he said
opening the refrigerator
pulling out a mcintosh and
gutting it with the round steel slicer

deliberately he ate slice after slice in
complete silence
focusing on the uneasy feeling
deep inside his core

outside on the front patio he heard
the daily paper kicking the door

out back a stray cat cried in the cold
garnering the attention of camouflaged chickadees
sitting quietly from within the pines

a gust of wind brought forth new life
from the many wind chimes

beneath his feet he feels the morning train
beginning to roll from a few miles away
a good forty minutes late he tells himself

as the first whistle blows
the sun breaks free from the clouds



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
24 Jan 2015
2 Comments

I lost a day and found everything


time machine on four wheels
fueled by some kind of natural gas
yet to be mined or refined
sent me on backward courses
destined to make me believe
in new definitions

there is something to be found
where you least expect
especially when weaving in
and out of byways and highways
genuine or imaginary or
in the design phase

bracing for impact I wasn’t
sure if I was exiting or entering
my man-made machine
simple and complex and
able to travel everywhere
in a matter of seconds



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
21 Jan 2015
5 Comments

second story rescue


I’ve been here before
I recognize the painting on the wall
recall being inside this second story
room with drapes flowing out like fire

below in the courtyard
chickens and children scramble about
and I squint my eyes peering
past hills rolling into my heart

everything is moving away from
my current line of vision
and I stand bent over and desperate
reaching out to be rescued



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
20 Jan 2015
6 Comments

I took hold of one end and she the other


pulling back with equal strength we stretched the
dried-out wishbone ever so slowly

it was then I wondered why there are always
winners and losers
why the winning side always smiles
and laughs and dances and kisses
spraying champagne and crying for joy

it was then the bone snapped and I stood
there smiling with the longer piece

here you go I said handing her the winning ticket
let’s get out of here
lunch is on me



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
17 Jan 2015
2 Comments

beyond the light


pretending this life-giving light
never once existed is like
accepting neither did I

wandering in the darkness
catlike eyes search for nothing
in particular but hopeful
to find something new

tall trees open up like umbrellas
protecting the ground
from metallic dust showers
turning into cosmic twisters
chased by space cowboys
riding sun-powered horses

life beyond the light is like a twin
searching for her lost soul
relentlessly persevering



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
14 Jan 2015
6 Comments

made in the shade


these fears inside I lay to rest
as setting sun bows and
curtsies one final time

I’m off to chase grander stars
hosting brighter moons
orbiting other oceans
sent on my merry way
accidentally
a victim so it seems
partially of my own accord

there are no sad marches
no guns to be fired
no motorcycle escorts
no victory day parades

there are no flowers or polaroids
or guestbooks or folded flags
no children sniffling
or women weeping

from now on the future
is my present
and whatever good I left behind
would one day become
a necessary ingredient
to grow the shadiest of trees



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
13 Jan 2015
9 Comments

picnic in the park overlooking the cemetery


it just sucks
all this is going on and one day
nothing matters
none of it matters
and you’re gone
and there’s nothing more

who’s to say there’s nothing more
she says
sitting back in her director’s chair
legs crossed and freshly shaved

don’t go there he says
don’t you dare go there

maybe death is a good thing she says
maybe it’s the start of something new
and hopelessly beautiful
just like this glass of champagne

maybe we shouldn’t be buying champagne
he says
maybe we should be buying real estate

yes she says
a change of scenery would do you wonders



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
11 Jan 2015
8 Comments

the queen’s rapture


your empire means nothing to me
but your queen is my everything

kidnapped and held for ransom
you scrambled to amass
your very best men
sent them on a quest to save her

I directed them down multiple ways
each avenue looping into other
promising outlets where horses
drink from rivers flowing underground

and so you regrouped yet again
the man we call king
hiring more men to satisfy
your obsession with recapture
an obsession
certain to awaken royal madness
stirring within a mighty empire



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
09 Jan 2015
12 Comments

still the same


I got out of the house using a bonafide
lie about meeting my buddy at the
pinball arcade
hopped on my tenspeed and
pedaled the shortest route to prospect park

lying on our backs at the top of the hill
it felt as if we were vertical
suspended if you will
the river far below our feet
the clouds above
shaped like sails and almost touchable

all afternoon we held hands and
talked about how old we felt
trapped inside young bodies
unnerved by the fact this place in time
would always be the same



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
08 Jan 2015

that someone else


for ten seconds I sat there
dumbfounded
the image so clear in my mind
what I was going to do
who I was going to be
but then out of nowhere
all clarity left my memory
and for ten seconds I sat there
perplexed how I lost the vision
or the means to flip back on the light

for a moment I nearly cried
and another ten seconds later
I became myself again



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
06 Jan 2015
8 Comments

Kaleidoscope


I’ve secluded myself or
shall I say excluded myself (from others)
confined to a modest space
somewhere in Phoenicia
surrounded by stained glass distractions
which keep out the harsh daylight
only to reappear much later as
illuminated decorations of the night

There is no time for sleep and
cloudless nights make for lighter work
problem solving triangles
and troubleshooting new moons
piecing back together romances
from far away places where future
discoveries withstand the test of time



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →