jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “poetry”

07 Mar 2015
8 Comments

waiting on the other side


my angel waits patiently
neither complaining of doing nothing
nor withering away over time

she’s played this game before
and pretends that I don’t see her
standing silent like a lampstand

wherever did she take them
those como se dice ‘yesterdays’
when all we did was our own thing
disappearing for years on end
barely carrying a pulse and not caring
what tomorrow would bring

how could I never fully comprehend
my angel is my lady luck
smiling at me from afar
and whispering sweet promises
only I would understand

teetering on the outer edge
how I wish she was with me now
contemplating nothing





march two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
01 Mar 2015
11 Comments

back in the shack


you’ll find it in the middle of somewhere
surrounded by a fog in a field of woods
discoverable through a natural maze
filled with a variety of wildflowers

walking through the door you swear
you became someone other than yourself
and the moment you sit and open your mind
the shack is filled with a beautiful light





march two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
28 Feb 2015
3 Comments

from outside the canopy


from what I remember a tire swung
from the rafters from inside the barn
the motion putting me to sleep
safely wrapped and held in arms
I loved but would not know

the difference between reality
and dreams remain indistinguishable
from the night or morning lights
arms swinging from the canopy
rocking me endlessly to sleep





february two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
26 Feb 2015
10 Comments

Somewhere Between the Lines


I

I’ve been trying to save myself
Long before I ever met you
I’m trying to understand
Why I feel so alive today
I found a message on the ‘net
That said you had gone away
So why do I keep searching
In a world that’s now unplugged

I don’t recall the last time
I walked on shallow water
There must be something in the air
That makes my eyes turn red
I looked much younger yesterday
When the sky was so much darker
I try to focus past the logic
But the clouds stand in the way

Flying solo used to be easy
When the birds kept in the trees
Hid behind camouflaged branches
Their songs were barely heard
But now the death of fall draws near
And they gather and form rainstorms
Is it any wonder I can’t find you
When my feet stay on the ground

II

I used to think I could find you hiding
But now I wonder when we’ll share
That moment in time together
Why does the sun always hide
When I walk between the lines

There’s a reason I keep looking
There’s a madness in my mind
I think maybe I should look elsewhere
Is it possible I will find you

III

It’s been a long long day
I’ve spent miles on this road
I’ve gone a long long way
Going to find my way back home





february two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Note: This poem was adapted from song lyrics I had written in 2003

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
22 Feb 2015
8 Comments

wherever I may roam


in my place it’s so quiet
I can hear them performing upstairs
to an empty venue
reciting words or strumming chords
leg wrestling or listening to music
or simply adjusting
sitz bones on wooden chairs

outside their windows
a modest breeze animates life
young leaves sway slowly
keeping time with wooden
and ceramic and metallic chimes
while arms reach out and stretch
to catch a moment in time

one by one they escape
down the patchwork trellis
their voices hushed and excited
pitching a new game where
they scatter off forever and a day
only to reconnect back upstairs
whenever least expected



february two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , ,
21 Feb 2015
2 Comments

regimental marching band


they appeared out of the west wing
of a virtual stage
sleepwalking puppets
marching along a shoulder-high wall
made of various shades of reddish
brown pavers
held together over countless scores
by weeping concrete

their wooden heads bobbed and weaved
eyes dark as night
and gazing at hazardous skies
some carrying arms
while others waved flags of various nations
those pushing up the rear
keeping time on tom-toms
and bamboo fifes

off they went systematically along
the bloodlined wall
never again to return
surely to be replaced by a band of brothers
temporarily held together
by the thinnest of wires
or no wires at all



february two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , ,
18 Feb 2015
7 Comments

riding the storm out


driving down the interstate
doing seventy-seven
city lights nowhere in sight
he routinely checked his side view
his rear view
his front view
occasionally checking in on
his quiet companion riding shotgun

they hadn’t spoken for over an hour
and he wondered if she had awakened

what’s wrong she whispered

I was just thinking about the grid
he said
how fragile it may or may not be
and what will happen next if it gets hit again

how much further are we going tonight
she asked

I don’t know he said
maybe until my hand stops hurting
or we see some morning light



february two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
15 Feb 2015
2 Comments

little sunday school riders


they said nobody got hurt
when the madman driving
the sunday school bus painted blue
loaded with dozens of inner city children
went belly up in two feet of snow
somewhere along highway 13

inside the old bus without seat belts
nearly all the little ones were improperly
dressed for the outside conditions
and when the madman
lost all control of the vessel
everyone inside stumbled and tumbled
on top of each other
screaming for the almighty himself
to appear out of nowhere and save them

notwithstanding a little frost bite
it was a miracle nobody got hurt



february two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
14 Feb 2015
8 Comments

phantom highway


one hundred miles an hour
is not that fast compared
to the past ten years
gone in a flash
such a blurry mess
god knows where everything
lost or stolen ended up

chasing the southern sun
down a divided highway
a cold one on my lap
flashing red lights
materialize in my rear view
sirens demanding I pull over
this souped-up monster

I don’t think I’ll let them
catch me today
and I disappear by bleeding
into the faraway landscape
my mind and body seemingly
finding new life
plugged into this fine machine



february two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
12 Feb 2015
4 Comments

fighting over rings and things


we can’t ever forget hate
it’s tattooed on our biceps
trademarked on baseball bats
and army issued khaki pants

we walk around with grudges
taped on our faces like some
splintered biblical family that never
went to church on sundays
nor practiced what they preached

real estate is abundantly spacious
once you are dead and gone
catapulted into the farthest
reaches of the unknown
but in the meantime
we treat it like some precious ring
nobody in this world
deserves to possess



february two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , ,
11 Feb 2015

sacrificial is the light


out in the fields
bonfires consume the air
pushed by the wind and shoving back
sparkling like stars
and speaking in new tongues

eons away prehistoric microlife awaken
hypnotic and unknowingly
attracted to the light
traveling at the speed of a lifetime
before effortlessly giving in
with unmitigated enthusiasm



february two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
06 Feb 2015
2 Comments

may day in the night sky


high speeds through clouds made of ice
wings molting then unraveling
hands grasping for someplace to land
as bodies busily spin in darkness
like lost souls in space mountains

with no time for substantive thoughts to evolve
time stands still for a matter of forever

twisted turning steel opens triangular windows
disappears into a brand new universe
while every living thing in its path
expands and contracts like a comet’s tail
breaking apart only to reconnect



february two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
04 Feb 2015
2 Comments

this constant reinventing is nonsense


it worried him so
how everything would get done
believed the night owl never slept
believed the early worm
glowed in the dark for all to see
but nobody saw
and that worried him

too many goals
too many milestones to achieve
and to what end he asked himself while
pumping cheap gas into his cheap car
pontificating to himself
how worlds away
men were setting men on fire

it’s bad enough
I’ve got to live my own life
but what about all the next lives
I’ve got to endure
how I am supposed to make it through
all of them he asked himself

back on the street
he takes one bad turn
and before he knows it
he’s speeding down streets
never before seen
streets turning into boulevards
turning into avenues
into alleyways leading
to dead ends

just like in past lives inside virtual worlds
he loses himself yet again
the cabin of the car flashing red
tempting him to start all over again



february two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
31 Jan 2015
8 Comments

never a dull moment


I saw that young grey squirrel
all winter long
chasing cars and
scaring dogs on leashes
jumping at them from out of nowhere
then zigzagging here then there
zipping out of sight laughing

I imagined he had stashes of nuts
all over the neighborhood
because he always looked
lean and mean
more energetic than any winter
squirrel I ever did see
scampering all over like it was spring

on days when the magic seemingly
runs dry I wish I could
reach into his bag of tricks
pull out a masterpiece that
makes you suddenly hit the brakes
sending your sedan swerving
over the curb and
slamming into your own snowman



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
28 Jan 2015
2 Comments

antarctica


colder than I could have ever imagined
here I am walking among the gentoo
as if exploring another planet

I came here to die but decided
there was too much to live for
as long as I couldn’t get out of this place



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
26 Jan 2015
8 Comments

the start of a brand new day


there’s something missing he said
opening the refrigerator
pulling out a mcintosh and
gutting it with the round steel slicer

deliberately he ate slice after slice in
complete silence
focusing on the uneasy feeling
deep inside his core

outside on the front patio he heard
the daily paper kicking the door

out back a stray cat cried in the cold
garnering the attention of camouflaged chickadees
sitting quietly from within the pines

a gust of wind brought forth new life
from the many wind chimes

beneath his feet he feels the morning train
beginning to roll from a few miles away
a good forty minutes late he tells himself

as the first whistle blows
the sun breaks free from the clouds



january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →