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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “poem”

24 Jun 2021
2 Comments

final resting place


this ranch is for sale
the one just outside the city
the one I told myself I’d
buy in a heartbeat
if it ever went on the market

I can see myself dying there
I easily convince myself
surrounded by apple trees
and two or three horses
grazing on grasses
bushes & other leafy greens

I’ll find this shady spot
where I can dig the entire summer
my final resting place
I tell my younger daughter
when she comes to visit
for the very last time




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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
23 Jun 2021

rhetorically speaking


I’ve always believed in karma
and so have you
explain to me what’s keeping
us continuously separated
like two birds passing in opposite
directions in broad daylight

the sidewalk has plenty of chalk
simple designs
like hopscotch & rainbows
leading to more complex shapes
familiar faces laughing & crying
open arms reaching out

you say we need to return
back to where it all began
of course I answer
is it even possible
realizing the whole world
has become rhetorical




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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
22 Jun 2021
3 Comments

somebody else


fleeting beauty
always in fashion
coming and going
at her leisure
walking the thin line
between fact
and fiction
creating the rising sun
by reinventing
yesterday

somebody else
appears out of thin air
a grey ghost
or blue-eyed beauty
rising like the fog
or glorious sun
depending upon
what needs burning
and what needs
setting free




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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
21 Jun 2021

all that remains


there is sadness in the air
a serpentine line of sorrow
bending further away
from the front door

it will take hours before
all emotions abstractly implode
the long line subtracting
piece by piece
until all that remains
is an empty space




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

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

waiting on monday


my head’s been out of the game
far too long
for example I don’t even know
what day it is

sometimes that’s okay
not knowing how much you got
left in the tank
or whether or not the market
ever returned to your favor

of course the markets are closed
on sundays
that much I suddenly remember
while charting the sky
on a cloudless night




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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
19 Jun 2021
4 Comments

daydreaming on father’s day


the boys didn’t care to fish
but the girls sure did
sporting baseball caps
& hooking their own wax worms

license & trout stamp
taped inside tackle box
[probably half my age]
we’d drive an hour or more
singing songs & retelling
bad jokes & tall tales

without question we’d catch
our legal limit
it was merely a matter of time
working the cold water stream
shaded by elms
talking in whispers
& practicing our patience




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

Posted in Fishing, Poetry and tagged , ,
18 Jun 2021

yesterday


do you remember
    of course I do
like it was yesterday

the only problem is
    yesterday
doesn’t exist anymore

I wanted to read
    some poetry
but lost my glasses

you had them yesterday
    is what she told me
smiling & walking away




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

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

messing around with the tape recorder


I think this time we shall start
in the middle
letting the mechanisms
work in reverse for a while
before fast-forwarding
beyond death

how many names
will you recall
how many faces will you recognize
some distorted & some
in pristine condition
(on account of having died
so young)

keeping yourself in the center
[or the middle if you will]
does have its advantages
allowing the opportunity to learn
from past experiences
leaving the creative
& the motivated
to figure out the future
all for themselves




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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
16 Jun 2021
9 Comments

playground


where am I
everyday finding myself
in a new place
not a one of them
familiar

some places are cutting edge
others seemingly ancient
everywhere steadfast faces
taking to the imperfect streets
doing only what they know

silence follows
as evening turns to dusk
the heavens open
I am lost in thought
stargazing

always faraway like tomorrow
I practice patience & passion
eyes locked on the dark sky
believing I’ll awaken yet again
to this place I call playground




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

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
15 Jun 2021

not so breaking news


it’s no wonder people are suffering
from a great depression

it has little to do with the state of the economy
and more with the states of minds

instant gratification has gone by the wayside
replaced by a reality that it takes
a certain mental fortitude
to remain on top of your game

you don’t need a newspaper
to read the headlines
broadcasted daily loud & clear
by way of clouds high up in the sky

with school out for summer
kids duck & run & roll the dice
some winning & others losing
from neglect & abuse & forty-fives

and those incapable of fending
for themselves
fall behind in so many ways
far too many contributing
disturbing stories
overtaking the nightly news




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

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

the great commutation


this isn’t happening
we’re all just living inside
a stephen king novel

who needs conspiracies
when you’ve got bats
mating with humans
creating the genesis of a
multi-generational super race
later known to be called
the delta dominant

the vaccinated are like
workers bees
bowing to their queen
promising to keep the world
in working order
while the highest of the higher-ups
strategize & forever change
the end game




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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
13 Jun 2021

break on through


a door closes another one opens
leaving you standing there
more concerned with what
you may have missed
rather than moving forward

you tell yourself there are flowers
behind the closed door
beautiful & bright & sporting
all the colors of the world

if you had only clipped them
before it was too late
you could have passed them on
to those you admire most

the only screams you hear
are from the inside
overwhelming the messages
streaming through the open door




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

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

Shadow


Welcome to the corner shop
called Shadow
its doors are always open
its prices reasonable

Spend the night if you wish
and travel back in time
find your primitive instincts
and marvel at your survival

Wind down the hallway
of yesterday and rediscover
the seat of creativity
guiding you toward the light

Accept the token Shadow
as you reenter reality
a reminder your inner child
comprehends eternity




june two thousand twenty-one
original written september two thousand eleven
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
11 Jun 2021
5 Comments

Josephine


We watched the aquamarine sky
on a hot summer night
neither saying a word
though both screaming inside

I knew you were already gone
but we continued to hold hands
as if to say nothing will change
despite the obvious facts

You were always so good to me
though I never knew why
frequently sad but in a good way
I keep your wistful smile by my side

They never understood
the magic that we shared
and now that the sun is sinking low
we’re bound to rise together again




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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
10 Jun 2021
2 Comments

gravitational pull


she moved from room to room
her feet never touching the floor
wanting to believe she was real
I pretended we were dancing

lights were low & hopes high
for the very first time I felt like
I was closer than ever to the center
your world gravitating toward mine




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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
08 Jun 2021
5 Comments

the quiet earth


the ocean pulls back
& the moon
wanes
unattended smoldering
slowly advancing

call it a slow burn
if you will
call it a cleansing
a purging
fire on the water
strangely inviting

the earth has never
been this quiet
the airwaves nearly vacant
except for what
the stars
& the quasars giveth




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

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , ,

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