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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “poetry”

31 Jan 2014
10 Comments

everywhere to be found


we searched
under rock and earth
and alongside the water’s edge
where the dying winds
welcomed the night

without a trace
you escaped the city
headed for a restless countryside
offering perspective
to tired old bones

in the woods
echoes follow every
footfall and heartbeat and thought
reshaping consciousness
from the very start

signals flare
from rugged elevations
seemingly shooting down stars
much too young to die
let alone live

early morning currents
meander your voice
throughout the valley’s curvatures
barely audible above
forgotten shadows



january two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
28 Jan 2014

homecoming


unlocked
she turned the handle and
let herself in
supplanting footsteps
left ages ago
when she could barely breathe

standing tall in the landing
she listened for her
heartbeat barely audible
down the hallway
eyes looking waywardly
as shoulders effortlessly
let go the knapsack

unashamed
she stepped forward
and further into the past
kicking every single ghost
trying to settle back in



january two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
20 Jan 2014

the playing field


there is no stopping and staring
into darkness
there is just doing
or there is nothing else to do

(I used to raise my voice to be heard
because I was sure nobody would listen

who really does that anymore)

there is no reason for such foolishness
it only reminds me of punishments
handed out unjustly

(eventually getting kicked across the floor
becomes nothing but a diminishing recurrence)

though the sun and moon may shine
brightest at its apex
their lowest moments inspire me most
when the world is neither
alive nor awake
and the playing field is perfectly level



january two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
19 Jan 2014
10 Comments

olfactory arousal


strips of bacon appeared
in my high-definition dream
alongside ripened tomatoes
farm fresh eggs
and quarter pound cheeseburgers

I could hear them pop and sizzle
in their own searing grease
could smell the sweetness
originating from the kitchen
and infiltrating the entire house

pretending I’m fully awake
I tuck a linen napkin
up under my chin
march down the staircase
wielding flatware and a hefty appetite



january two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
14 Jan 2014
8 Comments

untitled 2007


how do i decide
what to believe is real?
should i follow my thoughts
or just live out my dreams?
there once was a time
i worried about my heart
but as the years pass on
i know it’s my soul
i most trust.



september two thousand seven
audio january two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
13 Jan 2014
7 Comments

the treaty of good riddance


let go of the anger
leave it at the doorstep
ring the bell and run away

there is no room for it
anywhere or anymore

all it does is drag you down
leaving you
and everyone around you
exhausted

let go of the anger
and reach out to someone
in need
someone you’d never thought
would need help
or someone on the other side

let go of the anger
and instead practice humility
and patience
and gratitude
start proving to yourself
you can live without it
and be someone better
than you were the day before

think of the restraints anger
puts on your life
how it prolongs your depression
and reinforces your addictions
preventing you from ever truly
enjoying the benefits of positivity
hospitality and endless creativity

think about it
think about how losing your anger
would be the best thing the world
would ever know

food will taste better
the air will smell sweeter
and those streaks of light
racing through the sky
will be nothing but beautifully peaceful





january two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , , ,
12 Jan 2014

seeing things


I crossed the bridge on the coldest
day of the year just as the noon
whistle blew

on the frozen river below
hundreds of geese huddled together
on the sunlit ice

once inside the downtown deli
I warmed to a cup of soup
and toasted sandwich

driving back across the bridge
the geese had vanished
into the bitter winter air



january two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
07 Jan 2014
6 Comments

breathing lessons


lying flat on the floor
first I bend my mind
then my body

from there I wonder
where my soul takes me next

temperatures rise
then fall to record lows

the crow flies due north
searching for something new

moving pictures
stored on the ground
and in the cloud
suddenly freeze

lying flat on my back
I close my eyes and
pretend I’m breathing
for the very first time



january two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
02 Jan 2014
6 Comments

far side of the sun


amid dark winter nights
I lay out glorious plans
to conquer the seed
the wind and the rain

the whiteness of the world
inspires me to envision
perfect days where irises
bloom under moonlight

sacred revolutions seem
as remote as paradise
testing my patience
from far away places



january two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
30 Dec 2013

queen for another day


inside the ant farm fat-bottomed
shoppers coast on motorized carts
clogging the produce section and
regurgitating freshly stocked veggies

an accident in bakery sends signals
to emergency crews who remove
themselves from feeding the powerless
to harvesting the tiniest of crumbs

cleanup on aisle nine sends her majesty
screaming to her many abigails who
busily stitch her tattered wings
in hopes of swarming another day



december two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
28 Dec 2013
10 Comments

the spirit must live on


we prepared our minds with
foolproof lies and
carried on about our lives
as if darkness never
overshadowed anything

what was once reinvented
can be invented yet again
and those monsters
lurking behind old photographs
remain buried alive

unsuspecting memories
hang in undisclosed caverns
like misplaced dreams
tapping your shoulder
night after tireless night

without thinking we pushed
onward through the air
like a refreshing wind
blowing away the morning fog
that once weighed us down



december two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
18 Dec 2013
1 Comment

imperfect papers


when they wired this one
there was no ground
it was either lights on
or lights out

she told me if I wanted
to wait another week
she was expecting
a new delivery

shaking my head
I explained how I needed
to move on after
losing Rosie last month

buckling her replacement
into my hatchback
I hoped to regain



december two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , ,
10 Dec 2013
7 Comments

missing the most wanted


they locked down the schools
and called on the bloodhounds
from three counties away

human chains stretched across
the countryside carrying
torches and kicking stones

holding hands they waded into
cedar lake until they could
no longer breathe

throughout the city church lights
enlivened stain glass windows
well into the wee hours of the night

in the morning there was still no news
not counting the posse that
galloped out of town at daybreak



december two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , ,
06 Dec 2013
5 Comments

room by room


I walk down the steps into an open
foyer with the lights on

the morning sun sprays itself into the
house from everywhere

I walk across the wooden floor
sabotaged by kitty toys
and broken promises

I open the refrigerator door
for more artificial light
and orange juice concentrate

things are starting to come back to me now
I say to myself

audibly clearer than a whisper
I wonder out loud
what lies in the next room


december two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
30 Nov 2013

before the wall is smashed


we listened to pink floyd
all afternoon
before settling on watching the wall

neither sunlight nor lightning
could penetrate the electronic den
stocked with essentials and
adorned with colorful matter
that shined on the four corner speakers
slightly exposing fellow clan members
relaxing on the supersectional
and loveseat
and futon
and pink bean bag chair

sometime before the wall is smashed
a pizza delivery boy arrives unannounced

swarmed by our open arms
we tear into his flesh
only to stitch him
back together
like some old rag doll



november two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
27 Nov 2013
9 Comments

morning blue


I love to play the piccolo
just before the birds awaken

my own imagination
enters their waking dreams

before the song is over
and just as the sun starts to smile
trillions of feathers
usher in the morning blue




november two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Micropoetry, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , ,

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