september’s death
rests inside a fielder’s glove
her final breaths elongated
lilting and fading
elegantly purposeful
she would not be happy
knowing what follows next
her boys of summer in full costume
exhaling the uncertain air and
parading out past twilight
clumsily swatting bats
september two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she survived the dark forest
with unimaginable courage
her recovery spectacular
though the past is incomplete
its mysteries will slowly dissolve
replaced by translucency
according to testimony of others
she is here for good reasons and
destined to do something special
september two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
by john of patmos
from the book of revelation
visions of judgments enter my waking
dreams as seven cryptic messages
appear before my eyes
one by one they reveal abstract images
representing future events
first seal reveals an imposter
unjustly crowned
his hand sweeping change upon the land
his false hopes hidden behind a
white horse winning hearts and minds via
strategically placed holograms
second and third seals let loose
the red horse
aka the war-horse turning
farmlands into graveyards and
nations into ashes
at his heels
lo the black horse
perpetrating wickedness upon the poor
fourth seal unleashes escalating death
paraded methodically by the pale horse
wielding hammer and sickle and
raping the land
systematically burying
one-quarter of every living thing
entering the point of no return
the fifth seal tallies the
price paid by murderous men
killing blindly at any cost
their victims transformed into martyrs
and worshipped by the chosen
few who are reeling and
determined to regroup
bewildered and lamenting
all dressed in white robes
by the time the sixth seal breaks opens
the entire earth shakes
and once dormant volcanos
blacken the sun and redden the moon
and all the leaders of the world
and all the wealthy
and all the faithless
and all those with any means necessary
fearfully evacuate themselves into
deep underground sanctuaries
september two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I swear I was wide awake
and drinking heavily
toasting george thorogood
and his glorious destroyers
we polished off the pony keg
a few hours before
moved on to bourbon and scotch
knowing there was more
rhythm and blues to be heard
later into the night we
found ourselves securely insane
in the backseat of an orange
nineteen sixty-seven mustang
we pretended to be carrying contraband
deep inside enemy lines
halfway across the centennial bridge
we empowered the traffic
to stop (with our minds)
and I jumped and shouted obscenities
and escorted my party to the other side
scaling the eight foot tall fence
I swore I was on top of the world
(reaching back I surrendered my weapon)
free of such burden I would soon realize
I always dreamed alone
september two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
they say there is no setting
or rising of the sun
they say it is always there
and it’s just your imagination
that sometimes it is not
with that in mind I stood at the
doorstep and handed a child
paper and markers and
asked her to interpret the
world as she knew it
from inside her mind she drew
countless circles orbiting
infinite stars
and every now and then
she placed a new moon
where you’d least expect it
I wondered how many of her
suns supported life as we know it
and as I was about to ask her
she told me she needed
more space and time
september two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we didn’t sign up for this
but there we were
pistols raised above our heads
faces covered with red
paisley bandanas
ending fairy tale lives
and abetting a revolution
handed down for centuries
everyone knew the wild west
would eventually cycle back
to the eastern front
where women lay low and
protect and feed their children
until old enough
to perpetuate the suffering
september two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
by Daniella Sciuto & J Matthew Waters
I drew these lines ages ago without
understanding the consequences
and my desire to protect them
weakened as time wore on
I sketched these images
fast frenetic murals on the wall
portraying all my doubts
concerning this world
and myself
and then I lived on
each day passing by
these lines remained unchanged
concealed by a thin layer of imagination
I crossed the line into a new
form of reality
regaining my strength by
becoming one with creation
drawn across the land
yet the pull of these lines
that basis of all
beyond the veil of life
influenced everything
no matter how much I whitewashed
my tabula rasa was not pure
and I found myself
redrawing the lines
found myself starting all over again
this is how it both
ends and begins
with poetry written
rewritten and rewritten again
layers upon meanings
upon words
with us forever
redrawing the lines
starting all over again
whilst the ghosts of poems past
influence everything
september two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
from the book of revelation
I heard Him preaching on the radio
streaming from station to station
delivering dire consequences to the
seven churches of the day
straying in their ways by concerning
themselves more with their own
hierarchy and corporate governance than
adhering to their original mission of
loving and serving the Trinity
But to those individuals overcoming their
faults through repentance and devotion
I heard him on the radio promising
manna from the tree of life
crowns and white garments to wear
powers to conquer all nations
pillars made in their name in the temple
and offering them the golden opportunity
to sit alongside the ultimate King
/span>
september two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
He started telling me things
little things
I had no business knowing
After a while the little things
mixed with the big things
and soon the important things
seemed to not matter so much
Every day for over two thousand
I did nothing but live alone with
my own thoughts
Of course I continued to enjoy
chocolate kisses and
group therapy and
kite flying
When he rescued me from
voluntary confinement
I screamed incoherently while
riding on the back of his fifty horses
hair blowing back horizontally
arms raised and flailing
Now after so many years since
time has turned around
and I find myself
drifting and regressing
but succeeding at exorcising
my very own demons
september two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
from the book of revelation
the door in the sky took me by surprise
and at once I wanted to walk through
but gravity overruled my ambitions
though chaos rang through the land
I clearly heard His voice
calling me by reaching out
grabbing the neck of my shirt
and flinging me
effortlessly through space and time
bedazzled before the throne
I was certain I had reached the omega
snatched out of the first century
and inserted into the last
in my attempt to comprehend these
events I recalled His promise
to the church at philadelphia
death will be swallowed up in victory
I stood among millions singing
never-before-heard psalms
and like everyone else
I lifted my crown from atop my head
august two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
when the terrorists moved in down the
street the other week
I worried nonstop for the safety of my children
and my two thousand twelve chevrolet
since moving in they’d been stockpiling
weapons in the two-car garage
when I called the police
they said there was nothing they could do
they’re living here legally
they said
and they’ve purchased the necessary
ammunition stamps
pausing with phone in hand
I stood looking out the bay window
watched the registered sex offender
(across the street and two doors down)
jump in his sports car and race away
my hands by my side I could barely hear the
officer on the other end repeatedly asking
hello hello hello
august two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
left hand glides up and down wooden neck
fingertips pressing string combinations
right hand motioning in time
fingernails pretend to be little plastic pieces
moving multiple strands and
pinging selected wires
face contorted in body english
synchronized with amplified satisfaction
streaming from little black box
august two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
from the book of revelation
Alone on this prisoner island
the Aegean Sea surrounds me
Pen in hand I sketch images
I could not have fathomed without
divine intervention
delivering unto this world
a final gospel not even the
Authorities can contain
Back in the day we walked as
brothers from sea to mountain
countryside to village to city
healing the sick and raising the dead
like nobody had ever seen
But now all has changed
and I am not worthy to look
Him in the eye
and I find myself falling to my knees
beginning to absorb everything
He has in store
Once settling down I come
to terms with my mission:
sending the seven congregations
a three-part transcript describing
His time on earth
what has transpired since
and how His triumphant return will
supersede the Age of the Church
august two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
walking away from the sunset
shopping for the next place to sleep
eyes remain optimistic of a tomorrow
promising pay
all alleys in this pacific coast city
lead to sand & saltwater
along the way housing is made from
cardboard & wire & unfinished dreams
familiar hopeful faces
unite and welcome the wonders of the day
their hands busily preparing
to feed five thousand
august two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she was an unlucky kind of girl
and though she wasn’t sure
what that meant
she loved to say it nonetheless
born scorpio with pisces rising
she always wondered
why there wasn’t a thirteenth house
one in which she could run and
hide from a world spinning inwards
safely tucked inside her
mysteriously secretive mind
she only assumes a
peacekeeping role after
extinguishing all other options
august two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
little paper moon inside
my watch pocket
keeping time like I never knew
changing from sliver
to full without being seen
brightening and fading
like a kiss from my little girl
wishing the world would
always stay brand new
august two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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