jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “poem”

11 Jul 2021
2 Comments

because of you I’ve become a lesser god


because of you I came to life
and later fell in love
with someone other than myself

how could I not adore
the gods in my world
piecing together my story
as if I there is meaning
in a poor man’s soul

there is temptation
in your proposal
my favorite color
appearing out of nowhere
by way of your satin dress

what you promised I wanted
only finding for myself
you were but a lesser god
incapable of changing
my inevitable design

and so because of you
I took my own solitary life
in hopes of becoming you




july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
10 Jul 2021

occupying time


they keep missing their targets
these so-called sharp shooters
raised from the dead
passing puberty in a heartbeat
breaking in long-range rifles
pointing bayonets toward the sky

there are worse things than
becoming the next casualty
picked off by an assassin
who goes by so many names
whether cuban or texan
or from the lower east side

I’ve been down this road before
hunting down the bad guys
only to surrender
by no fault of my own
ordered to march in single file
as if these streets are not my own




july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
09 Jul 2021

Irresistible Force


The fox in the sky wanders by day,
the universe his playing field.
Zeus proclaimed the creature’s cunning
would forever prevent his capture.
At night you could spot him dancing
while his predator rested worlds away.

The sun god created the hunter,
a canine with an uncanny sniffer.
Zeus predicted the dog’s destiny
included perfection in pursuit.
Led on leash by his master,
nothing eluded their golden snares.

The inevitable could not be ignored:
the fox could not be caught
while the hunter always prevailed.
Somewhere in between the paradox
ended their short-lived careers
after Zeus converted both to static stardom.




july two thousand twenty-one
(originally penned october two thousand eleven)
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
08 Jul 2021
4 Comments

legally blind


my favorite colors
are various shades of primary
violet & pineapple
cornflower & strawberry lipstick

as a child I learned east
versus west
the lonely cry
of the whippoorwill
phases of the moon
reciting all the crayolas
in a one-twenty box count

some days remind me
of the apollo missions
others the flying of a kite
whether slowly climbing higher
or speeding in reverse
back when the white cane
ceased to exist
& unicorns
were as real as rainbows




july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
07 Jul 2021

Cancer rising


Creature of habit staring me in the face
Until one of us decidedly blinks

She goes by a number of names
But I know maybe two or three of them

Weeks or months or perhaps years pass
Without any kind of visitation

She’s like a cancer in remission
Alive & well & fully aware of my proximity

Mirrors & ideas & loopholes are everywhere
To me they’re all one in the same




july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
06 Jul 2021

one beautiful life at a time


you reflect & wonder
how it was
you escaped death
(after all these years)
recounting on 1.4 hands
those near-
death experiences

each one a story
unto themselves
you tell your invisible friends
but since this is a poem
the details will be vague
& the metaphors
plentiful

where there is smoke
there is humanity
attempting to put out fires
romantic truth-seekers
watching the world
casually destroying itself
one beautiful life at a time




june two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
05 Jul 2021
8 Comments

as dangerous can be


At least 150 killed in nationwide shootings this July 4th weekend
                                        New York Post Headline (5-Jul-2021)

something has always been stirring
in all territories in america

even before the signing
these lands were as dangerous
as dangerous can be
in constant motion from east to west

back to back national celebrations
only add to the anxiety
the killing machine incapable of pausing
well oiled well before
the first lynching
gangs as ubiquitous as interstate commerce
guns as common as salt & pepper

anything previously written
has become red-lined & dissected
a new focus on the intent
and the consequence
novel interpretations turning into
the latest conspiracy
an age-old melting pot
violently redefining itself





june two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
04 Jul 2021

an unambiguous afternoon


it’s too hot to be boiling water
but what else are you supposed to do

there are people being buried alive
& all you have is a flat tire
something tells me you should be
counting your blessings

having been stranded
on the highway for a good hour
one starts to wonder if you can
overdose on vitamin D
the answer is yes & no
but certainly not from the sun

there is too much ambiguity
coming from too many sources
one good reason why things don’t
always go as planned

you tell the tow truck operator
one has to listen first
in order to understand
he nods his head & replies
that is absolutely correct





july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
03 Jul 2021

Area 319


Forget about point of no return
this is where it’s happening

With nearly 9000 square miles
there are plenty of spaces to land
be it on urban or rural ground
or anyplace above or below

The invasion was barely recognizable
all citizens going about their business
as if everything was normal
but in reality the world
was undergoing a change
and whether for better or worse
this is where it started





july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
01 Jul 2021

graduating to a higher plane


[I’ve nothing left to confess to
unless of course
I plan to do it all over again]

did you happen to see
what jimmy had to say
he was in the barber shop yesterday
tooting his rusty horn
saying something about
your sister or your mother
or some other
female body
sending shivers
up & down his spine

mama told me
I can’t go there no more
& so here I reside
occupying the upper west side
collecting flies
& working on grander designs




july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
30 Jun 2021

meet me at tokyo bay


the wind is picking up
bringing us closer to tokyo
than previously announced

we are lost inside
this smallish planet
inside a slightly larger planet
like a shell within a shell
(within a shell)

new york can go to hell
these omniscient lights
convey greater meaning
mainly due to carbon dating

released from our cages
we are free to roam
like damselflies & dragonflies
coexisting in the city center




june two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
29 Jun 2021

a poem for the deaf


though stars are exploding
the night is silent again
settling into my chair
I smell something in the air

seeing things you can’t
is not easy to explain
heavenly bodies circling
around your ears
curious angels
pacing in the hallway

passion suppressed
words I was supposed to hear
trapped in wooden boxes
I sit on them
while pretending to sing

it’s not easy to listen
to anything you have to say
I nod like I understand
and look away

this place is more beautiful
with the stereo plugged in
the orchestra in the pit
the applause & the awe
beating inside my head




june two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
28 Jun 2021
2 Comments

poem of the dead


I’ve heard a thousand times
how the monarda
was afraid to die
but always came back to life
next march or april

you tell me I might be
just like the bee balm
practicing the art
of resurrecting
without realizing
what was going on

if I go diving
from the top of the bluff
where below is nothing
but blue sky & oswego tea
will you follow
and repeat after me




june two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
27 Jun 2021
3 Comments

pardon me


Thinking of combustication as a welcomed vacation from
The burdens of the planet earth
Like gravity, hypocrisy, and the perils of being in 3-D
—Brandon Boyd

it’s getting late
I’ve not a single thing to say
except perhaps
I’m thinking of bursting
into flames

maybe I’ve been listening
to the wrong voices
as of late
but for some reason
they seem to make
more sense
than anyone else

I’ve not seen the moon
for days on end
yet the ground is dry
& the air is stagnant
I look at my hands
and repeat to myself
these are not mine

it’s getting late
& I’ve gathered all the
combustibles I could find
now is the time
to give these fireflies
a show of their lifetime




june two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
26 Jun 2021

reversing the future course of events


I’m done counting my blessings
you see there’s nothing left
I’ve bundled them into packages
& shipped them off to those
who need them more than me

I just gave my last interview
did my best not to say
I don’t give a shit anymore
was quick to bite my tongue
instead talked about the children

needing more than ever before
how without the blessings
they’re destined to become
something we’ve never seen
in all of human history




june two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
25 Jun 2021

like open doors


I used to belong in a certain space
until I was told to move on

nobody said anything in so many words

it’s funny how sometimes your shadow
precedes you
giving you a vantage point
you wish you never had

but the fact remains the sunset
mends the darker side of yourself
allowing a brief perspective
into how things could have been

at some point you no longer feel lost
no longer feel dead
the world spinning faster than before
more real
than you could have imagined




june two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment

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