jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “poem”

19 Feb 2012
2 Comments

mask


as he sat slumped at the marble counter
in the master bathroom
facing the mirror which spanned
the width of the wall
he stared forward
and craned his neck
tilting his head this way
then that, slowly opening
his mouth as wide as can be
then slowly closing his lips
examining himself with squinting eyes

the routine was as repetitive as time
transforming his face
as if in a trance
first with a bleaching
and second by applying
shades of red and orange and yellow
on his cheeks and around his eyes
screwing on a big red ball
over his existing nose
and cramming a rainbow wig
atop his balding crown



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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
18 Feb 2012
4 Comments

En Prise


You can’t force it
she said.
It was then I realized
I kept making decisions
without thinking
what might happen
to my beautiful Queen.

Lost and searching
for something magical
to capture my eye
I slowly realized
my quest for patience
was nothing more
than an elusive wish.



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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
12 Feb 2012

out back


out back you could see
just a few spots of green grass
but mostly it was snow

overnight a glaze enveloped
and made it all shiny
like aluminum

with no sun in sight
the air turned balmy
and by mid-afternoon
angels bathed out back

 

february two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
07 Feb 2012
2 Comments

without a clue


we had met it seems ages ago
at a time when no one knew
how to plant corn or make bread

back then days were upside down
and the moon was locked
in its place: a perfect excuse
to exaggerate without consequence
and pretend logic never existed

as time passed many faces rotated
around the clock
some memorable
some forgotten
some forever fixed in consciousness

without any particular reason
the alternative path rarely presented itself
until one night in the future
the moon beamed a smile
and there we stood face to face


august two thousand eleven
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
29 Jan 2012

Whispers of Sorrow


We drove through the cemetery
in the dead of winter
until we found the blue canopy
flopping in the wind

Many inches of snow had fallen
the night before but the plow
had cleared the lanes

A bright sun and dress shoes
hit the asphalt with purpose

As many as a hundred faces
converged on the canopy
in steadfast silence

Gusts of wind arrived from the west
and tossed snow off the roof
and onto the gatherers

Familiar prayers were recited
between coughs and sniffles
and one woman’s weeping

When a bugler played
a familiar lullaby
the vacant faces drifted
in varying directions
whispers of sorrow filling the air




january two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
26 Jan 2012
4 Comments

alien


we dove into the waters
and found a way
to not only survive
but thrive
without the usual oxygen
we once took for granted

 

january two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Poetry and tagged , , ,
21 Jan 2012
3 Comments

Little Wiener Dog


I love my little wiener dog
she loves me just the same
we like to go on little walks
and play the chasing game

Her legs are short and stubby
they move so very fast
her snout is long and funny
and good for hunting rats

We like to go into the woods
where she can sniff and dig
sometimes we come up empty
but mostly come up big

I love my little wiener dog
it’s such a simple fact
we like to cuddle on the couch
and munch on Scooby Snacks


january two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged
30 Dec 2011
16 Comments

i am third


i am the bird
resting
alone on a wire
listening to the wind
and waiting
for something to die

i am the wind
blowing from the east
bringing fresh air
to a flower
desperate
for better days

i am the sunrise
on a cloudless morning
burning the sky
with intensity
and promising
life after life



december two thousand eleven
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Poetry and tagged , , ,
21 Dec 2011

Reading Between the Lines


Forgotten allusions
conjured at night
reappear when least expected
and make our lives
a little more interesting

like who we really are
or how we could be

Remembered dreams
either delight or haunt us
it is their inconsistency
or congruency
which lead us to accept
or pretend
not to live with them



nineteen ninety-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
19 Dec 2011
6 Comments

Before the First Frost


Whispers could be heard
Beneath the leaves
The ones fallen seasons ago
When there was no reason
To believe time would ever end

Softly worded thoughts
Seemed to travel close to home
Yet when trying to pinpoint
The source it became clear
It was something universal

Out of disharmony beautiful
Music seemingly appeared
Played by angels pretending
To be popular nestled
Comfortably in the backyard
On a cool autumn evening





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

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
16 Dec 2011
2 Comments

Lie to Me


The automatic garage door opens
Its overhead light merging
With the Audi headlamps
Pulling into the drive
Early Sunday morning.

The neighboring homes
Shuttered in darkness
Keep its occupants isolated
From the disturbance
Of mechanisms and motors
Nearly all long gone in deep sleep.

Upstairs, a mother and child
Turn their bodies in reaction
To creaks on the floor
Which subconsciously
Feeds their minds
With secrets and lies.



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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
15 Dec 2011
1 Comment

Art the Beautiful Pheasant


Art the beautfiul pheasant
so wanted to be a partridge
dreamed of living
in a pear tree
on Christmas day

Boundaries kept him at bay
limited his Las Vegas odds
of surviving
Iowa fields
for another season

Art the beautiful pheasant
forged ahead in colorful pride
turned shrubbery
into a birdcave
and survived the winter

Such ingenuity and foresight
found favor with the gods
aided the bird
and his clan
to march further south

Art the beautiful pheasant
so wanted to be a partridge
but settled for life
in a sanctuary
on the Mississippi



december, two thousand eleven
copyright j matthew waters


Painting by Renée C Winkel (click to enlarge)

Posted in Animals, Birds, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
15 Dec 2011

Cloud Factory


Plumes of smoke
escape the stacks,
entering the atmosphere
as chemical clouds:
a byproduct from the distillation
of corn and wheat
grown on American farms
and hauled to the factory,
producing foodstuffs
to feed millions wordwide.

Protesters outside
carry messages on sticks,
crying for change
and attention from a media
hungry for something new.
Meanwhile, the factory
continues to cook,
spending millions
on special interests
and scrubbing their clouds.

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


iphoneography by Arthur Weaver

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
14 Dec 2011
2 Comments

Barbados


From the highland region
Where the northern breeze
Brings inland the sea
Ancient trails once escorted
White men on well-dressed horses
Into a beauty called Bridgetown.
Besides its honesty, the grandeur
Of this place—wrapped
In ancient walls
And storied history—
Has little to do with surviving
Illicit trades or ugly slave wars
But in knowing the raging sea
Turns nearly empty dreams
Into untold realities.



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

Posted in History, Poetry and tagged , ,
13 Dec 2011

Chicago Fire


Fire fighting aircraft
turn their bellies upward
as they veer away
from the blaze below
their waterbombs
struggling to penetrate
the conflagration
set off days ago
by a strike from the sky
blasting the Windy City
with wicked veracity
turning human ingenuity
into a flattening incinerator
filled with rubber
and concrete
steel and humanity
stirring dead souls
into vague memories
of eighteen seventy-one



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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
11 Dec 2011

The Rainmaker


Rumors of his arrival circulated for days
before riding into town on horseback.
He slowed the Mustang to a halting walk
as both man and beast lifted their nostrils
and breathed in the dust and dead air.

The Zuni Indian, dressed in dark loincloth
and white headband, dismounted
the horse and entered City Hall.

Word quickly spread from town to country
of the prearranged meeting finally taking place.
In short order Main Street swelled with people
as if a holiday parade was soon to start.

When the Mayor and the Rainmaker
swung open the doors
cheers and gunshots could be heard
from as far away as the nearest clouds.





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment

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