on the most sorrowful day floral arrangements
accompany the winding road
as the birds of the field sing their joyful songs
nearby wildflowers weep and sway
newly clipped roses wrapped in paper produce
smiles once believed long gone
wherever a child is knee-deep in raw color
never let time pass away
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the circle invitation
echoes from miles around
from a solitary flyer
high above the flooded
creek near oxfordshire
days of endless rain create
casualties on the ground
ripe for the taking
by just about anything
remotely intelligent
the size of the circle
grows wing by black wing
gaining strength and sailing
like a school of fish
in the overcast sky
once reconnaissance
confirms an opening
the dark circle transforms
into a ruthless carnivore
spiraling toward the earth
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
they brought him into school
to address the warrior nation
and I sat in the little theater
so happy to miss math
this cat spent most of his adult
life in and out of prison
and he spoke softly and slowly
as if he once walked dead
his tales of thievery involving
blunt knives and drugs
and smoking guns
proved to be entertaining
until he bent down
on one knee
and proceeded to reenact
that night
he held his girlfriend’s lifeless body
in his tattered arms
I hid my eyes beneath my hand
and looked around the room
trying to figure out which one of us
would be tomorrow’s speaker
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s brown and cheap and comes
from mexico via chicago usually
around fifty percent pure
some like to smoke it but I prefer
to shoot it between my fingers
where you can’t detect the marks
the last high was beyond euphoric
as my body warmed like a toaster
my mind sailing away on a starship
as I zoomed out of this world past
the northern lights there was no chance
in hell anybody could ever catch me
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
once the children moved out
demons moved in disguised
as paper tigers roaming
from room to room
their emerald eyes shined
from the darkest corners
of the night reminding me
of a love I once had
I fed them sad stories
in exchange for my life
but their promises of light
I could not fathom
I asked them kindly to leave
my world but they curled
where the winter sun
shined through glass
in the spring I found strength
to unfold and reshape
keeping the demons at bay
as paper angels hanging
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
from a poem written in 1842
by my great great grandmother
Elizabeth (Mason) Waters
at 17 years of age
Washington, Iowa
What is Love? A heavenly feeling,
Centered in the human breast,
Softly o’er the senses stealing,
Gives the aching bosom rest.
What is Love? It is a treasure,
Seldom prized as it should be
‘Tis a pain, ‘tis a pleasure,
From all selfish feelings free.
Learn more about Elizabeth Mason Waters
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
blank card unfolds
with pencil in hand
as I sit in silence
waiting for the words
instead I draw
a little lost boy
in pursuit of his soul
in the cherished woods
a network of leaves forbids
the sun from shining
upon the moss-covered floor
as the sounds of the silent march
carry on
the young man calls
into the branches
certain someone above
understands his prayer
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it doesn’t take much
to flip on the switch
and drop down deep
into a chasm
of a distant memory
self-prescribed doses
of self-hypnosis
transports the mind
toward understanding
ancestral realities
old candles aflame
from wishful thinking
exposes wormholes
of new dimensions
leading to affinity
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
they shot the protester
because he did protest
yet at his publicized memorial
they celebrated his life
as a court jester
the queen became enraged
at the death of the jester
and she dispatched the royal
police to hunt down
the transparent killers
the transparent killers dissolved
into the adjoining kingdom
blending with the locals
by begging for change
on street corners
recharged with fresh dollars
more protesters perish
by organized zealots
rudimentarily disguised
as the new court jester
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there’s a revolution brewing
and it’s going to be loud
and dangerous and downright
unintellectual for so many
old women stand in long lines
buying magazines for their men
while inside dogs stay huddled
behind yet intact furniture
unrecruited men and boys
hide behind alleyways
reading the latest reports
from handheld devices
a voice from the loudspeaker
claiming to be the answer
promises free tickets to paradise
and chocolate for everyone
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
they closed the high road
for reformation
or so says the orange sign
attached to the electric fence
blocking the entrance
to the mountain road
it’s no wonder the locals say
the entire system
has suffered from misuse by
political scientists
and secret police
for some hundred years
once the lights sail past
the stratosphere
the high road will reopen
and pilgrims camping
at the base will resume
their arduous journey
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the leaf once dreamed
of becoming a feather
and wished one day
to fall with grace
she imagined a child
uncovered her brilliance
and saved her forever
between two pages
displaced in darkness
for decades on end
she prayed for light
and rediscovery
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I don’t necessarily like
the way I was raised
just like I’m not expressly thrilled
with the way I raised my own
I don’t mind all of the free
time I have these days
just like I’ve come to accept
how astrological forces
forever rule the world
I’ve considered going back
to tinker with a few things
but the new moon
in the twelfth house
keeps me grounded here
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
on opening day
vegas future odds
for winning the world series
has the chicago cubs
at eighty to one
the same as the pirates
and the mariners
and right behind
the new york mets
wish I could say
I’ve got the fever
but now into my fifth decade
of blindly following
the lovable ones
I’ve since grown jaded
often pondering
if there is more to life
than mere losing
march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it snowed all night
and in the morning I went to look
for my boots
so I could shovel the drive
what the hell is it doing
snowing in springtime
I complained to the woman
sitting on the couch with pencil
in hand
she shrugged her shoulders
and put her face
back in the sudoku
you know you’re supposed
to do those things in pen
just like the crossword puzzle
I said
she lifted her eyes
and stretched her arm straight at me
the pencil an extension
of her middle finger
you know she said
if you’re looking for your boots
I sold them on amazon
last month
now get the hell out of my house
march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
adrift on a raft
with no land in sight
you lie back
and make friends
with a setting sun
lost in dreams
the bulging moon
wrecks havoc
on brainwaves
regenerating
distant stars
seek rolling waves
tossing you
into a whirlpool
of endless light
march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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