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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “poem”

17 Sep 2013
20 Comments

jars of light


nobody asked me to share
my dreams with anyone
so I kept them to myself
nurtured them as best I could

in the middle of the night
silence awakened me
beckoned me to walk alone
in streets that never sleep

along the way I imagined
the sad ones called my name
reaching out like lonely stars
dying to find a home

I gathered them in jars
full of oxygen and hope
promised to return again
when eyes are laid down low



september two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
15 Sep 2013
5 Comments

here to stay


I stood at the podium
declaring my faith to a world
I once called home

the strangers in front of me
knelt and lifted their arms
anticipating a deliverance
they had only dared to dream

as I breathed into the hall
they began to understand
freedom was here to stay


september two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
12 Sep 2013
15 Comments

If I die before I wake


never mind the world ends today
and you left so many
things undone

never mind the starving children
throughout the world
who could easily be fed
with a little capital
and alien ingenuity

never mind the excessive waste
you selfishly accumulated
and contributed
toward urban ski slopes
and 18 hole golf courses

as the world ends today
never mind racial bias
gender bias
religious bias
nationality bias
and any kind of intriguing international bias

never mind discrimination
and mistrust
especially of crooked governments
and wars unjust

never mind outspokenly peaceful men
becoming silenced as we speak
by programs perpetuated
by deceit and hatred
by programs advocating
five o’clock killings
for everyone to see

never mind all the work undone
before the world ends today
never mind how it must bother you
knowing the story
never changes


september two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
10 Sep 2013
9 Comments

first call same as last call


I stroll into the kitchen
to mix another drink
and as I return I realize
this one is no more
important than the
previous ones
and that they all contribute
cumulatively to my
intoxicating creativity


september two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
08 Sep 2013
8 Comments

sunday with nana


when I was a little girl she said
I sang in the children’s choir
and everybody loved us

we smiled and tried to imagine
how nana could ever have been
a little girl singing in church

like a magician she pulled psalms
out of her throat and lifted them
high into the glorious air

angels appeared playing flutes
and trumpets and approving the
perfection that was her voice



september two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
07 Sep 2013
4 Comments

Graffiti


There’s a wall without slashes of social unrest,
without lines of prejudice, modesty or complaints
not even a good thought
clean and quick to the point
might make others laugh, angry or uneasy.

It makes me uneasy to see such a wall
anywhere within a public stall
upon a school desk or through walk tunnels.
To see such a wall of inhibition
of emptiness
of conservative thinking
like not sharing thoughts, ideas or secrets
makes me wonder
when the liberators will return
to save the free walls in this free land
from backwardness
from idleness
of single bawdy colors covering progress.



nineteen eighty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
02 Sep 2013
12 Comments

no way out of ebla


planes overhead
fly day and night
going on forever

kneeling with daughter
elbows on bed
one candle casts a light

equipped to the hilt
martyrs and saints
march into the desert

daughter falls asleep
dreams of war drums
advancing up the street

escape routes collapse
from the dead air
I take her hand and run


september two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , ,
01 Sep 2013
2 Comments

space bar


when the two humans arrived
I knew there would be trouble

the pigman who carried
death sentences
on twelve systems
was just dying to pick a fight

once the pigman’s
wanking arm lay alone
on the floor of the bar
the music resumed
and we all just looked away
and carried on
about our business


september two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , ,
31 Aug 2013
10 Comments

when stars die


billions of stars
drawing a map
across time

adrift in an
endless quest for
intelligent life

setting suns
give birth
to new moons

new life spawns
deep inside
planetary waters





august two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
30 Aug 2013
14 Comments

not wanted


call off your eagles
nesting in my trees
they belong back home
protecting your streets

those sharks in the sea
circling near the coast
free them from their wrath
far away from my church

the seven nation army
breathing down my neck
marches on with dignity
only few understand





august two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , ,
26 Aug 2013
4 Comments

five o’clock pass


shifting down to high speed
he pushes the pedals
down down down
feeling the tension inside
thighs and calves and IT bands
grimacing and racing
approaching the rail yard

the freight train slows to a crawl
the conductor waving
outside the window
the biker stretching out one hand
high into the air
yelling
thank you thank you thank you


august two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
25 Aug 2013
8 Comments

making conversation


what’s your favorite song
I asked her
as we sat atop the bluff
overlooking the mississippi river
the white sails below looking like
a paint-by-number watercolor

she took a sip of her arnie palmer
and lowered her sunglasses
exposing sinister eyes
straight into mine
then pushed them back
and returned to her sunbathing

what was that look for
I asked her
picking up a rock and rubbing it
with my thumb and fingers

you know what my favorite song is
you silly man
she whispered above the happy birds
why don’t you go ahead
and sing it for me


august two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
24 Aug 2013
13 Comments

those shoes


she wore them only
on special occasions
and every time I saw them
I just wanted to slip them off her feet
and take her upstairs

but alas that was just a wish
and we paraded into town
high heels and all
the center of attention
every place we ventured

wickedly well rested
we danced into the night
tearing down disco walls
and cutting beale street rugs
deep inside memphis





august two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
22 Aug 2013
2 Comments

harvesting the spoils


they worked conspiracy hill
like well programmed robots
carrying handheld devices
and tagging certain grids
with various colored flags
teleporting data
back to mother

the hill had taken a pounding
from the cosmic bullets
raining from above
vaporizing the rebel forces
and forever altering the
surrounding mineral
composition

they had flattened this hill
before and fully intend
to mine it again
transporting the riches
through the ancient routes
terminating far inside
orion’s belt





august two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Poetry and tagged , , ,
19 Aug 2013
2 Comments

catch me if you can


the bird in the stream
loves to scream at midnight
when deep in her sleep

she dreams of elegant legs
to-die-for tail feathers
and a graceful neckline

no longer interested in
fly-by-night playboys
she catches her limit
before the rooster’s crow





august two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Dreams, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
17 Aug 2013
6 Comments

when the world was young


we walked along the boulevard
hand in hand
as if newly in love
enjoying the sunshine
and freshly cut grass

it seemed we were alone
in the universe
and all eyes stopped and stared
jealous of the way
we walked upon the air

as we faded into the dying sun
everyone noticed
how brightly we shined
once upon a time
when the world was young


august two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,

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