jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “poem”

Monotony


He wakes up tired and alone and starts
the daily routine all over again,
asking himself what’s it all for,
this grind called life; doing the same thing
day in and day out and seemingly
not getting anywhere.

In the kitchen the cat tries to order
bacon and eggs as he pours himself
a cup of orange juice,
dispensing the daily supplements
onto the counter, convinced they’re necessary
to keep his vital organs functioning.

Once on the highway he interacts
with sports talk radio, arguing against
this Sunday’s predictions.
Nearing downtown he darts into the fast lane
and accelerates past the exit ramp,
a smile on his face and Vegas
only three hundred miles away.



october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

sound barrier


the room trembled with silence
as i sat alone on the high chair
punching keys and the space bar
with fingers and thumbs

moments earlier the silence
was interrupted with the clip clip clipping
of the fingernail clipper
and i remember thinking
what a masterful invention it was
as i purposely cut the left hand nails
much shorter than the right

the room’s silence grew louder
with terrible thoughts racing out of my mind
ricocheting off the walls and ceiling and floor
before returning to my fingers
and magically appearing on the plasma screen

i remember thinking it was such an awful silence
as tears of joy swelled in my eyes
my fingers racing millions of miles per millisecond
traveling beyond space and time
before crashing beautifully
into this alien creation



october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

the flood


and the water fell
pounded upon the earth
relentlessly cleansing
the planet for centuries
forcing god’s children
to reinvent themselves
yet another time


october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

missing you


innocence is regrettably lost
when exposed to a virtual world
bent on glorifying decadence
through intense selfishness
where powerfully dark forces
can bring an angel to her knees
sending her somersaulting
beyond gravitational forces
that keep this planet in place



october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

the apprentice


i snuck into the world
through a backdoor
you carved into a rolling hill
where you worked the earth
with your creative hands

with perfection in mind
you made my eyes
the lightest shade of blue
and my skin varied
depending upon the light

your blood flowed within
nourishing my heart
and strengthening my mind
as i learned how the earth
recycles all living things

through time and patience
i came to understand
how the secrets of the clay
could beautify and nourish
a world starving for love



october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

american apathy


i heard it through the grapevine
was playing on the radio
when they interrupted to announce
the president had been shot

it was the marvin gaye version
the one released a year after
gladys knight & the pips put it out
back in nineteen sixty-seven

i tried calling the radio station
to ask how necessary it was
to cut into such a classic song
but i just couldn’t get through

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october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved>

the guardian


you entered the ward
with a smile in your eye
quietly knelt beside me
and whispered of a world
where the dazzling white light
promises to free me
from the pain inside


october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

the system is broken


it’s always been that way
nothing about the past
is fair
and the future
will always be flawed

when you sit down
and wonder if things are moving
in the right direction
something hits you in the face
reminding you
the system always operates
with vital parts missing



october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

search warrant


she sat on the curb at twilight
stale tears etched on her cheeks
elbows on knees
fingers curled in
her knuckles keeping her face
from sinking even further

across the street police lights strobe
in a constant circle and remittent flash
the k9 sedan idling
its radio haltingly chatty
broadcasting to nobody
but the girl
and her neighbors
operating as passersby

twenty-four concrete steps
and a steel railing
scale the hill leading up to her house
where inside her daddy
is handcuffed and pinned to the wall
soon to be escorted
down the twenty-four steps
and past the curb
momentarily out
of her wretched life



october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

courage


what heart is broken
seeks out to find
a remedy certain
to forget past times

how sad the memory
painful to the heart
broken yet breathing
forever on guard

time is of essence
nothing stands still
a heart once broken
desires to rebuild


october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

The Shadow of Billy Capp


The shadow of Billy Capp
drifted along Little Mill
encouraging anyone
to venture further inside
the once private property.

It was a hundred years
to the day Billy Capp
was shot in a poker game
the ace of spades found
buried beneath his sleeve.

Legend has it he was chained
and dragged to Little Mill
where he was anchored
into a seven foot pool
that moonless autumn night.

Come springtime the body of
Billy Capp had diminished
into a spectral mist
forever daring any brave soul
to test the sterile water.



october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

priced to sell


the realtor led the young couple
from furnished room
to furnished room
the baby fidgety and vocal and strapped
to her mother’s back
as if innately aware
why the previous owners’ children
priced the fabulous walkout ranch
to sell on the very first showing


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

apology


move past the apology
and to a world where
it’s okay to let loose
and move on

time has a way of untying
most stubborn knots
freeing the soul from
undue weight

nothing is ever forgotten
but simply evolves
into memories
still alive


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

without a wish


the river ran dry
the year of the drought
collapsing the water table
atop its own legs

the wishing well closed
from lack of moisture
turning back all the day dreamers
hoping for change


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

the machine


he consumed destruction
like it was sweet nectar
went on fifty year binges waging war
like there was no tomorrow
getting high on chaos
before receding into isolation
recuperating and retooling
just to do it all over again

if only his creator had programmed
his instincts differently
reigning in his selfish ways
of wasting resources
and repeatedly recessing
he could have produced
timeless masterpieces
that inspired a lasting peace


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

all things new again


autumn arrives right on time
a reminder that none of us
can forever enjoy
the endless days of light

early in the morning
when the sky is untouched
by a belated sun
you are awakened by little leaves
knocked around by tortuous winds
forming strength as a collective
and striking window panes
as if they were sheets of rain

nothing can escape the transition
into this slow death
where you are bound
to experience the creepiness
entering your soul
leaving you hungry and cold
and wishing for all things new again


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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