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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “poetry”

26 Jan 2013
7 Comments

landslide


for centuries the sloping hill
produced a bouquet of artistry
sewn into the grass
and handpicked by flower children

an annual blizzard blanketed
the hill and invited participants
to hasten up and down
using any means possible

as the city slowly crawled outward
leaving concrete in its wake
the sloping hill cried
shaking and moaning and hurting

the forward motion gradually
violated the internal integrity
of her existence
until one day without warning
she simply
sailed away


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , ,
24 Jan 2013
8 Comments

transit kiss


waves created from a kiss
blown from the palm of my hand
transverse through space
in a spherical spin
attracting electrons and positrons
in twin phase arrangements
before completely absorbed
deep into your skin

‘transit kiss’ youtube video


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , , , ,
23 Jan 2013
4 Comments

purple heart


thoughts begin to falter
as my blood pressure
takes a sudden drop

helicopter blades cut
into the dark night
racing toward the cross

on the ground miracle
workers scramble
to prepare the table

it’s gonna be all right
someone told me
is all that i remember


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , ,
21 Jan 2013

listen up


she’d been crying
but that was nothing new
nothing a few drinks couldn’t fix

she adjusted herself on the park bench
stretched her neck and
crossed her legs
eyes clearing and focusing
on all the people walking by

if only i could warn others about him
she mumbled
there wouldn’t be a next victim
and his toxicity
would just drain away
like a dead car battery

if only i could tell others
to run the other way
if they ever encounter
this monster
they would never know
how he’s destroyed a few homes
and brags about sleeping
with married women


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
20 Jan 2013
9 Comments

how deep is the sea


sitting cross-legged on the floor
my mind shut the door
and i was left alone
in the dark
with a candle and a match

i closed my eyes and focused
on a fire burning in the belly
of a giant fish that swallowed me whole
delivering me to unfathomable depths
where indescribable creatures
ruled an invisible world

as ocean waves crashed on top of me
the door violently swung open
and the room became drenched
with natural light
my hand still holding
the unlit match
the candle
nowhere to be found


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Fishing, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
19 Jan 2013

riding shotgun


i left the house unlocked
with all the lights on
and ventured down the hill
in the dark and in the cold

within minutes a warmth
surprised my cool thoughts
as the faraway wall of clouds
evolved into pink and red
and purple and blue

as my meandering mind
marched further away
a bright red fire truck
appeared out of nowhere
blasting its dominant horn
and racing to save the day

a trio of three dogs named
java and cocoa and sally
halted in their tracks
as if envious of the dalmatian
sitting at attention and
riding shotgun


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
16 Jan 2013

hats off


screams crescendo down
the narrow roadway
bouncing off adobe walls
of old townhouses
bodies racing recklessly through the corridor
as arms and legs
flip exaggeratingly
propelled into the air
by the jerk and thrust of enraged bulls
whose nostrils snort fear
and blast steam


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
15 Jan 2013
4 Comments

shall we dance


i found myself without obligations
one saturday morning
and decided to ride jenny
down to the river
to parlor city where they
serve breakfast on weekends

the place was busy but i managed
to snag the last seat at the bar
and ordered a bloody mary
and hot skillet
full of meats and potatoes
and veggies and eggs

it soon became clear the clean
shaven gentlemen sitting next to me
was most likely smashed on vodka
perhaps even as high
as a champion kite

what do you do he hissed at me

i’m a poet i said shoving food in my mouth

there’s nobody smart enough in this town
to be a poet he slurred

i put my fork down and picked up
my bloody and took a healthy swallow

you listen to me i said using my best
dirty harry impersonation

i’m gonna go out to jenny and get
my colt 45
and if you’re still here
when i get back
i’m gonna make you dance


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , ,
13 Jan 2013
2 Comments

peace process


it’s too complicated
all these thoughts running
through the streets
without supervision
with blades strapped to ankles
and an arsenal of firearms
lining your inner pockets

forget the wars a half a world
away the one right here
is about to steal your freedom
unless you get off
your lazy ass and figure out
how to save yourself
before you’re blown away


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
13 Jan 2013
4 Comments

million dollar app


i’ve been working on this app idea
the kind you buy at the app store
and somehow magically appears
on your smartphone
which really isn’t just a phone
but a device
that attaches itself to your body
all day and all night
regulating your bodily functions
telling you when your glucose is low
and your blood pressure high
monitoring your communication activity
both on and offline
and offering to be your second best friend
even though your dog
already knows better


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , ,
05 Jan 2013
9 Comments

little mermaid


i opened my eyes
to a world full of ice
beautifully blue
and frozen in time

ages ago i called
out your name
chipping the surface
to find you again

with a little magic
i bent the tides
hoping tomorrow
you’d resurface alive



january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
03 Jan 2013
2 Comments

reclamation


after falling down against my will
decades from the past
represented themselves
as colorful pixels
slowly dissolving
into near nothingness

in due time my consciousness
resurrected itself
as a beautiful child
and there was nothing
i wouldn’t do
to start walking again


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
30 Dec 2012
12 Comments

another iowa winter


nobody knows what the weather
is like in iowa
just like they don’t know gigantic
potatoes only grow in idaho

in january it’s so damn cold here
the cows don’t move
so it’s easy to walk right up to them
and snap photograph after photograph

there are no metropolises in iowa
just little towns
with a post office and a tavern
where you can tie your horse to a post

in the winter the winds blow so cold
it leaves you shivering
until march when the sun penetrates
the earth and reality begins to blossom


copyright j matthew waters
december two thousand twelve
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
29 Dec 2012
2 Comments

expecting


i’m expecting my baby home
any time
expecting her to open
the door
and greet me with that
smile
i haven’t seen
since telling me
she never felt more alive


december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , ,
29 Dec 2012
5 Comments

breaking the silence


it was the silence he said
that rocked his world
giving him thoughtful insight
into the universe

i thought that sounded nice
so i ordered another round
and asked him to feed me more

he said god would visit him often
while fishing the deep pools
lock and dam fourteen created
near the banks of the mississippi

it was there when the whole world
slept that catfish after catfish
struck his line
breaking the silence
and exorcising
the demons
planted inside him centuries ago
by a paranoid church and state

i leaned back in the barstool
and nodded my head
drawing smoke to my lungs
curiously asking him
about the bait he used
as the bartender yelled
‘last call’


december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Fishing, Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
24 Dec 2012
9 Comments

the natural rink


the lighted pond
attracted the townsfolk
on christmas eve
all eager to trade their boots for blades
and chase their shadows
across the ice
their arms and legs seemingly moving
in different directions
as feet shuffle and glide
race and coast
their chatter audible and visible
in the bright brisk air
with an occasional rump
every so often
testing the thickness
of the natural rink


december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,

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