I didn’t know what day it was
but that’s okay
or so says the one
who keeps visiting every noon
it’s always cold outside
but that’s okay
I’ve got a jacket and she keeps
bringing me hot chocolate
we usually break bread
right here in this place
but sometimes
she takes me out
into a world I once knew
and that’s okay too
december two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
idling on tokyo avenue
waiting for the light to turn green
boston blaring from coaxial speakers
back in the summer of seventy-nine
it’s easy to misremember
exactly how everything
went down in the day
but the music
that’s another story entirely
always open to interpretation
december two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
forget about playing nicely
everyone’s had enough
first they took away the sandboxes
kindergarten will be next
go & figure things out on your own
and report back in a few years
so we can evaluate how badly
you’ve been doing
the world is a gradual change
(not to be confused with progress)
with every step taken
two are typically reversed
and with every year of living
numerous degrees of separation
are shifted one way or the other
reaching the point of no return
is a common occurrence this day & age
which is one reason why
(if you think about it)
there are stretches of time
you’ve no idea who you really are
december two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the songs are always there
no copyright needed
you keep them on a shelf
in the air or deep within
on a rotisserie device
you created by following
the instructions
on a youtube video
in a prior life you played
piano in front of thousands
another time lead singer
in a pre-grunge band
the most memorable [however]
in non-performing roles
whether unencumbered in the loge
or all lit up in the mosh pit
december two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
feeling tired & a bit blue
thumbing through thumbnails
trying to find that genuine smile
must have been
two or three or four years ago
for some reason time
has ceased to be linear
nights dominate the skies
crescent moon stationed eloquently
neighborly planets presenting
themselves as escorts
pre & post dusk
impatient poet
dwells inside a world inside a world
pen or pencil in one hand
flashlight in the other
rhymes & alliteration like static noise
grinding & sizzling & echoing
inside his crowded head
december two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
first day of first grade
mother drops off son
the former feeling independent
the other apprehensive
but this particular school
does not belong to anyone
save the children
they are the rulemakers
the judges & the jury
the fate of others in their hands
the good & the bad
and all things in between
separating the ugly from the beautiful
always mindful of keeping
the white elephant at bay
december two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we sang with the coyote
their desert song
in the darkness of a
moonless night
do not be sad my love
although the song may fade
the stars are certain
to align again
december two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the american experiment
implodes yet again
semi-automatic handgun an
early christmas gift
designed to stop the testing
taking place in halls of education
a country founded on violence
will forever remain violent
laws set in concrete
ensure this basic tenet
while the pursuit of happiness
is gunned down all too often
december two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
perhaps earth herself was responsible
for killing off the dinosaurs
and nothing else
having become disgruntled with the way
they pillaged the land
a select few destroying the lives
of so many others
they shall be reduced to birds of flight
and various reptilian creatures
who will later be named by humans
but only after the latter
would have reached a certain degree
of intelligence
the rest of the story stands before you
idling at the crossroad
the beauty of her diversity at odds
with the human byproduct
the contributions of the artists
the pollution of the cities
capitalism & socialism & pseudo philanthropy
geometry & astrology & poetry
mass murder & social injustice
merry christmas & april fool’s day
december two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
how do you figure
a little patience goes a long way
in this day & age
death after death
the inevitable a constant reminder
staring at you in the mirror
in the morning
yellow biscuit rising brightly
right behind your back
wicker basket on the deck
soon to be filled with purple posies
and birthday wishes
for someone we once knew
season after season
the players may come & go
but the game itself never ends
december two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s become unnoticeable
whatever it is
pinpointing by putting a finger on it
oh no forget it
not gonna happen
the it is an indescribable reality
you face everyday without
knowing what is pushing you
through the eye of the needle
or pulling your leg
or arms or eyes out of their sockets
if only I knew what it was
then maybe just maybe
something could be done about it
december two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I am outside of my body again
taking a test flight & practicing diving
like a gannet in the bay of biscay
come winter the wicked storms
will be the fiercest in recent memory
forcing my eventual return
living below the surface
I manage to experience flashbacks
of a life high above the sea
november two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
they say it’s time
to roll stones down the hill
and pick up rocks
along the water’s edge
it’s a solitary affair
an out-of-body experience
meant to leave you questioning
what could possibly
come next
you feel the eyes
of the earth & land & sea
watching your every move
including slinging rocks
toward the moon
and rolling stones
up the long lost forgotten hill
november two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
We invited the prophet for supper
because we were not afraid
The Father told us about Obadiah
about his warnings of destruction
as a consequence of action
Having become students of the living
and of the dead (and especially of those
capable or rising again) naturally we
were anxious in making a connection
Although we possessed many questions
the most obvious rallied around
his postmodern interpretation
to the Day of the Lord
november two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it looks like the end is near
as if nineteen sixty-one
were alive & well
this time the pigs
have been replaced by bats
[though having gone by the wayside]
replaced by carefully selected letters
from the greek alphabet
too many distractions
from all parts of the world
locking down & opening up
the new flavor of the day
comes in any color except
eggshell white
we’re not allowed to discuss
certain things anymore
elected officials having become
jokers & clowns
publishing numbers by way of tweets
and scaring all the children
who have little time left to live
november two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the end is near
explosions are only the beginning
the people ran from the enemy within
emptying ten story buildings in a matter
of mere minutes
I swear you were born yesterday
and now you are dying like the rest of us
at some point there is no looking back
there is only the explosions
the earth has died many times before
only to come back more beautiful than ever
like the calm before the storm
november two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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