conspiracies run rampant
from county to county
traveling at the speed of fedex
via air or ground
press any button
what will it be this time
panic or easy or nuclear
going up up up
this time all the way to mars
yes it’s the truth
that often gets blocked
from the colorful masses
and those samples stolen
when you were under
are causing more harm than good
in everyone else’s body
january two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I started thinking
about why I was so angry
the other day
of course why wouldn’t I
on this very day
but now that the latest fire
has been stomped upon
[yet continues to fester]
I’ve elected
to start thinking
about the power of love
instead
january two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
listen first it’s just a rat-a tap-tap
followed by
knocks & bigger knocks
maybe fist through drywall
sledgehammer hitting brick
outside it’s a cool blue day
listen man-made grunts at
zero degrees celsius
heavy breaths like dense fog
rising & falling ceaselessly
modern day destroyers
burning down rome
every other third day
if you stop & listen you can hear
raindrops pounding ashes
january two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
pushing the envelope
what better way to spend a life
tearing down
and building back up
testing the very fabric of
body & mind
stretching & tearing & repairing
how is it a black ant
becomes its own surgeon
after being left for dead
how is it a black cat
flouts the impossible
falling down thirty stories
changing is all that’s left
matters not in the longer run
hurlting stones
into outer space
likely not returning to earth
much like your mind
unleashed & uncontrolled
january two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
She’s flashing blue now
that should tell me a thing or two
instead leaves me questioning
why the color blue
First & foremost she’s good to go
she of course a fine device
a slim machine conjoined to the wall
by a simple lifeline
Secondly & likely lastly
she’s bound to change her mind
and consequently the world
solar flares & electrical surges
turning her sublime eyes from
subtle blue to crimson red
january two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
and so it has arrived
in all its glorious finality
slowing all good things down
some to an inevitable halt
no winter is the same
each returning with an agenda
colt forty-five concealed at the hip
cradling the rifle like a baby
setting traps on ponds & streams
frozen solid to the naked eye
encouraging & enticing
there is nothing left to fear
indeed you’ve reached
the end of the line [again]
exposed but not exhausted
you search for another way out
january two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
The doors & windows were wide open
and anybody & their dog
came right on in
no questions asked
But then something changed
paranoia having slipped in from the back
spreading carefully worded lies
and soon anybody & their dog
started slamming shut
all the windows & doors
There was much finger pointing
about crossing party lines
and letting in the enemy of the state
who seemed to have managed
to change all the locks
surprisingly running the entire show
from the outside looking in
january two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it was the dead of winter
and those flowers we once shared
bloomed in the back of my mind
I’ve kept anything but busy
self-isolated in my mystery cottage
placed perfectly atop cedar hill
unable to set foot outside
for fear of freezing to death
days turned into nights
nights well lit by candlelight
open books scattered throughout
sonnets recited by dead poets
their voices reverberating
as shadows against the walls
early morning birdsong
slipped past single-pane windows
like a long lost lullaby
putting out the very last flame
and folding fast my tired eyes
december two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
sad woman
coming in out the rain
sheds a tear for no one
down in nashville town
the rain washes clean
her mind at ease
a patient heart considers
every little thing
we all remember
how it used to be
early morning prayers
pleading for fairness
so many faces
up & down music row
mostly quiet anymore
like a lonely avenue
and so the rain
returns another day
sad woman
learning how not to cry
december two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
at the trading post
I was told I could get
anything I wanted
but what I wanted
was already taken
by the white man
I was a little man
way back then
maybe so to this day
but I’ll never forget
that man who never
kept his eyes off me
december two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is plenty of evidence
but a preponderance of fools
unable to piece together
the facts laid out before them
who knows what’s happening
behind these virtual scenes
where the truth turns a blind eye
and nothing is what it seems
this interconnected sphere
looking more & more like a matrix
encrypted data in a book of dreams
stolen right there in broad daylight
december two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I feel conflicted by my present
state of mind
impelled to uncover that which
I cannot explain through extensive research
always leading me further into myself
inside a mind that has no end
the deep state continues to control
that which it will
whether as far away as the middle east
or right here in these united states
operating well within public view
further adding to my confusion
this ringing in my ear did not start
by accident
and may easily be connected
to the at&t data center in nashville tennessee
where I’ve never set foot
but probably have visited often
december two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is something in the offing
meant to overtake
this age of evil
where men in power
have become savages
rendering useless their own people
there is something in the offing
a golden age if you will
destined to overtake
this age of evil
the natural order of things
restored by all the beautiful people
december two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
All I wanted was a compass bike bell
I didn’t even know they existed
until I saw one in the JC Penny catalogue
Christmas day came & went
and there I was delivering the news again
right along with the early bird
It’s easy to learn to grow old
while you’re the youngest of the bunch
learning quickly at an early age
december two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
you keep coming back to me
in your subtle ways
but at times I feel so tired
at that very instance
I fail to realize
what it was you said
or didn’t say
the smell of burnt electricity
eventually brings me
back into the fold
rhetorical questions
without any answers
slowly smoldering
inside these walls
december two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we heard the coffee shop in new bohemia
had some local beers on tap
so we went in to check it out
it was a damp morning
going on noon I suppose
and when we walked through the door
heads looked up
and eyes rolled
we shrugged our shoulders
and walked past the cashier
took a seat at the far end of the counter
this used to be a dog grooming place
and then a tavern I explained
and she nodded her head while reading
the menu on the chalkboard
the help never looked our way
and at one point
a busboy washed some cups & saucers
right in front of us
I imagined it would just be a matter of time
before someone approached us
to ask “what will it be”
we looked at each other
and then at the cashier
at each other
and then the cashier
meanwhile one customer after the next
approached the cashier
placed an order and made payment
behind our backs was a glass door
with a well lit exit sign above it
after six or seven minutes ticked by
we shrugged our shoulders
and haphazardly snuck out the back door
december two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 