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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “poem”

23 Jun 2012
2 Comments

Falling Down


The insects inside you bore away
for decades, feasting on your tasty
wood as if it were a never ending meal.

Despite the damage you continued
to morph by extending your roots
and creating more rings,
rising above the majestic blue spruces,
your branches and prolific leaves
scrubbing the air around you.

While I always considered your species
a wild and ugly member of the copse,
I never imagined that on the inside
you were eaten alive by starving parasites
hell bent on sending you tumbling down.


june two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
20 Jun 2012

yesterday


what kind of life is this
with all the dirt and disease and dangers
having to bring out your dead
once a month
not to mention
not having access to wikipedia dot org
nor understanding the concept
of pursuing happiness





june two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
05 Jun 2012
6 Comments

Preacher’s Daughter


The lights on the other side
of the city come in many
shades of gray
or so he told his daughter
driving in from the country

Over time she realized
the colors changed
with the seasons
one day telling her Daddy
she was smarter than boys

When she packed her bags
and waved goodbye
from the moving train
he just smiled knowing
she’d finished her homework


june two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,
20 May 2012
14 Comments

Murder in Falaise, 1386


The sow was insane
doing what she did
to the little girl
while six piglets
stood by her side.

Given a public defender
the pig was dressed
in man’s clothes
and escorted
to the courthouse.

Witness after witness
described the horror
in which the animal
tore into the child
for no good reason.

In her defense
the accused cried
on the witness stand
as her six piglets
suckled away.

Quick justice found
the defendant guilty
sentenced to hang
in the city square
on the taxpayer’s dime.




may two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Based on a true story.
For more information google “1386 pig hanging”

Posted in Animals, History, Poetry and tagged , , ,
19 May 2012
5 Comments

Horseless Chariot


Bring me back pictures
from Paris
or better yet email them
as you take them
with your lovely friends
who really aren’t your friends
but hired sycophants
who follow you
all over the world

Bring me flowers
from foreign lands
prove to me that you still love me
and want me around
even though
you left me here
daydreaming
in my horseless chariot
wondering where you are





may two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved



View the French translation version by Gyslaine Le Gal by clicking here

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
12 May 2012
2 Comments

dinner for two


he always prepared
dinner for two
even though she had left him
without a goodbye

it was nice to slow down
and smile again
reminisce about how grand
yesterday was

every time he mentioned
a sunday picnic
she would make an excuse
and retire to her room


may two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
05 May 2012
8 Comments

Lost Soldier


The water in his hands
was like a crystal ball,
replaying the recent
‘hand-to-hand’ past
with absolute clarity.

As he knelt, he dipped
his bloodied hands
into the stream,
lifting the reddish,
murky drink to his lips,
the images disintegrating
into his mouth.

The river rock underneath
his knees felt comforting
as he continued to dip
his cupped hands
into the creek
and up to his face,
the motion reminding him
of the ferris wheel
at the county fair.


may two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
28 Apr 2012
8 Comments

counting crows


a murder of crows
bide their time
on the outskirts of town
waiting patiently
as the virus
gripped the residents
with fever and fear

death by death
the murder grew larger
their calls becoming
creepingly human
their strategy
instinctively fine-tuned
and well orchestrated

the devastation
never aired anywhere
no mention of crows
nor intelligence
of any pandemic
ever germinating
in an alien field


april two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Animals, Birds, Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
20 Apr 2012

Inside the City


Inside the city thousands converge
on the open market regardless the weather
The allure is captured in historical relevance
where honest exchanges of trade and art
played out for centuries with civility

At the center of the square an acting troupe
dressed as traditional chess pieces
reenact the ‘56 match between Byrne and Fischer
the characters moving on the checkered stage
as commanded by the intelligentsia

Relaxing on a bench I breath in the city’s past
contemplate how its future could possibly change
A block away a string quartet starts in on Mozart
compelling me to walk among the people
and toward yesterday’s perfection


april, two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment
19 Apr 2012
2 Comments

Mississippi Kid


They kidnapped his woman
from a casino in Biloxi
sent word for a ransom
all the way from Lockhart

Sober and well mended
he packed his horse
for an interstate journey
with his pistols in his pockets

Outside Mobile fresh cornbread
filled the air from a plantation:
a reminder how his woman
used to give him some

Riding through Pensacola
the townsfolk just stared
as he grumbled to himself:
“Nobody dogs me ‘round”

Closing in on the Tri-Cities
he repeated his own motto:
“I was born in Mississippi, baby,
and I don’t take any stuff from you”

With his pistols smoking
and out by his side he sang:
“Down in Alabama you can run
but you sure can’t hide”


april, two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved


Author’s Note:
The Poem “Mississippi Kid”
is an Adaptation of the song,
Mississippi Kid,
lyrics by Ronnie Van Zant
click here for youtube video

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
14 Apr 2012
8 Comments

Summer of Seventy-Two


The old man whittled
while rocking in a wooden chair
on the front porch
all summer long.

We visited him daily
bringing along a beer or two
we stole from our folks,
watched as he turned pieces of cherry
into chessmen.

In the Spring
he had lost his son to the war;
but in the Summer
he just rocked away
carving and sipping,
providing all us boys the wherewithal
to win the game.


april two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
31 Mar 2012
2 Comments

time capsule


thirty years to the day
the old man buried a box
wrapped in plastic
on the border of his property

he recalled the idea
of hiding treasures
complemented his playfulness
agreed with his sensibilities

even though he knew
exactly where to go
he sat at the table
and unfolded the map
he had crafted at age fifty

life had been a blur until then
he remembered
and for the first time he swore
he had changed somehow

when he traced his finger
to the spot past the juniper trees
the items he would soon recover
flashed before him
as distant memories
slowly coming into focus


march, two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
18 Mar 2012
6 Comments

Under the Influence of God


Armed with knowledge and truth
angels wander along a rocky coast
occasionally glancing
at the multi-colored sky
breathing in virgin air
and tasting salt-water
from a never-ending sea
that crashes and rolls onto itself
and toward those who wait
with extraordinary patience
for their time to be called



march, two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , ,
10 Mar 2012
6 Comments

Inside a Circle


I took the 7:10 into the city: an hour
ride taken so many times.
Most of the faces inside the car
I had seen before, others I had not.
I sat motionless, pretending
to be patient, wishful today
I would find the woman
whose ring I recovered eight day ago.
Reaching into my pocket
I pulled out the gold band
and held it between my thumb
and forefinger, her reflection
developing inside a circle
I would forever adore.


march, two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
03 Mar 2012
4 Comments

The Last Bullet


The last bullet
was intended for me
came out of nowhere
like a flash of light
its irresistible spin traveling
some two thousand miles per second
much faster than my mind
could comprehend

The last bullet
remained lodged
in my brain until the day came
when I could no longer believe
I had beat it
could no longer replay in slow motion
how it had arrived there
night after night

march, two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
20 Feb 2012

The Wind


It came out of nowhere
passed right through me
chilling me
to the bone
reminding me
of the time
I was slapped in the face
by a below-zero blast
outside the Chicago Hilton.

My mind usually ignored
such premonitions
but the air
still trapped
in my body
slowly circulated
until a centrifugal force
overwhelmed me with vertigo
and I was unable
to answer the telephone.

november, two thousand eleven
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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