the downtown pigeons are becoming
more & more comfortable in their own skin
loitering wherever they please
empowered as fewer & fewer humans
make their way up & down the streets
I can’t imagine what happens next
what sort of confrontations may transpire
once all the lights turn green
madmen rushing to reestablish their turf
disregarding the whites of anyone’s eyes
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
stars rise and airplanes crash
it’s simply a matter of fact
some are easily seen
while others fly under the radar
undetectable by programmable spotlights
trained to find the impossible
from way up high everything looks fine
like peaches & cream accentuated
with dark chocolate
& sweet kisses
it’s hard to spot blemishes & skirmishes
from a million miles away
fires burning down cities
look like street lamps lighting up rain-soaked streets
alleys & avenues are drenched with fire
local aircraft either hovering or grounded
the stars of the sky eerily absent
unable to be wished upon
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
rent is three weeks overdue but that’s cool
according to the new rules
then there’s three of us or perhaps four
hanging out in the third floor dormer
glass writing desk facing the octagonal sky
time travel seems easy of late
caught between reality & endless grace days
transgressing past the same old lines
here we go again overlooking the mississippi
up a little higher than prospect park
smoking salems and reloading the toker ii
we take turns passing the binoculars
bringing into focus various white triangles
racing faster than the wind
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I was asked to step down & so I did
thirty-some steps & right-handed steel railing
assisting me to the banks of the river
it’s not like I’ve not done this before
time & time again so long ago
cracks in the concrete like an old story
artistically enhanced & completely believable
who’s calling me is subject to interpretation
I suggest you theorize for yourself
since all you have to work with are a few
printed words & more circulating in the air
there’s a boat anchored past the rocks
sails down & seemingly deserted
imaginary lifeline meeting me halfway
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
how does a fly get so fat before the solstice
what could he be feasting on
and how in the world
did he make his way inside the house
I had my chance a couple of times
to either stun him or catch him outright
casting him back out to the great wide open
but I decided the better of it
and went about my own business
now that I think about it
I wonder how many spiders are living
comfortably within my abode
knowing full well the dullest of houseflies
are the lowest hanging fruit there is
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s midsummer on a saturday night
the stadium lights attracting every flying
insect within 500 nanometers
first batter already on first base
thanks to beckert’s fielding error
brock’s not getting much of a lead
but everyone’s expecting him to take off
on the first or second or third pitch
the night’s young & the city’s abuzz
the runner back in motion
light years ahead of jenkin’s delivery
taking with him every intention
of never stepping down from the game
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it was raining like hell but we took off anyway
kept the convertible in the garage where she belongs
we nearly hydroplaned off the face of the earth
but like a cat landed on our feet each & every time
you go as fast as you like on dry pavement
as long as you don’t get caught
never stuck behind a farmer or an asshole
by the time we get there everything’s the same
I swear it’s like going to mass
[or taking your own medicine]
sticking with the same routine
asking irrelevant rhetorical questions
or reciting ancient history
with or without a written excuse
they don’t blame us for leaving so soon
though I often wonder if they blame themselves
stuck inside & contending with hundreds of risers
especially when they should be out & about
painting the town grey
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
hey do you remember
do you remember
yes I remember of course I do
but have you forgotten
forgotten those beautiful days
no I’ve not forgotten those days
I’ll never forgot them
but what do you miss the most
what do you miss the most
oh please it’s you I miss the most
but I’m still here [I’m still here]
yes I know
you remind me everyday
and for that I am grateful
then why so sad
why the invisible tears
because as you’re fully aware
when I lost my love
I lost my independence
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
one story bleeds into the next
repeating familiar themes
beating them into the ground
you order another beer
and put your head back inside college ruled paper
ink flowing decades before becoming
prevalent on body & soul
old words bleeding into new
on occasion you come up for air
breaking by bringing smoke to your lungs
carelessly observing patrons scattered about
set in place by an outside hand
you’ve seen this one before
been here a hundred times you tell yourself
each shot a variation of the same scene
one time storming out irrationally
the next bleeding the jukebox dry
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
you are here
sitting on a park bench
& looking past the river
a huge picture frame
[having grown out of the earth]
just a few short feet away
you are here
without a camera
or pencil & paper
sitting on a park bench
[watching the river slowly rise]
a family of four & a bichon
spontaneously fitting themselves
into the picture frame
you are here
a star witness to the crime
called on to testify
about the not too distant past
[occurring on your watch]
sitting on a park bench
the river nearly at your feet
a family of four & their bichon
mysteriously erased
from the refurbished picture frame
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Greyhound bus stopping
every chance she gets
seems like it took forever
to get the fuck out of Iowa
Left my lucky hat
in the booth at Denny’s
kicking myself in the ass
ever since
By the time we made it
to South Bend
a circle of us stretched our legs
outside the depot
passing around a couple blunts
pointing & laughing at the cop shop
right across the street
Later I came to find out
bounty hunters were onto me
but by that time
I had already confessed my sins
making further route changes
There were some problems
between Sandusky & Cleveland
thank god the driver was fully armed
having had to kick out this ne’er-do-well
for practicing taekwondo
and other obscenities
up and down the stained-glass aisle
Closing in on the Pennsylvania border
my head was spinning from
caffeine & nicotine & anything else imaginable
head propped up by unnatural means
nearly everyone on the bus chanting
“New York New York here we come”
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I am broken in many places
boxed up & sent back for repairs
what is this place
& why is it so regimented
it’s like I’m proceeding down
an assembling line
flat on my back
eyes darting feverishly
north & south and east & west
put me back in the box I say
if this is all there is I want no part of it
I would rather forever fall asleep
sailing across turquoise seas
& eating amongst the dead
this is a far cry from my former self
turned into an immovable target
once at the mercy of wires & crosses
(propping me up or setting me free)
now hanging in the balance
waiting to draw a card I’ll never see
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
trying something different
tuna on toast or blackened salmon
catfish from the mississippi
you wonder what else
is on the menu
perhaps something from the sky
the make-shift beach isn’t too far off
I imagine it’ll be jam-packed
due to the lock-down
it’s been a week or so since the last
loudspeaker messages
local birds looking a little less spooked
deviations are aplenty this day & age
it’s simply a matter of choosing
one over innumerable others
then there’s always a day-trip to illinois
visit a brewery & dispensary
back just in time for the setting sun
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
sixty seconds before round two
and the entire place is in a full assault frenzy
buzzing emphatically from the explosiveness
of the previous three minutes
in shock & awe at what they had witnessed
all but certain tonight is the night
somebody’s going to die
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
It’s Friday or nearly Friday
& already I’m planning
scheming my eventual escape
from this nondescript place
The hummingbirds have returned
& although I’ve tried
they won’t speak to me
leading me to broker communication
via the dominant wren
or the neighbor’s cat called Sue
Where were you when I needed
you the most I rhetorically
& repeatedly ask the mirror
This constant appearing
& disappearing act is for the birds
especially when unassociated
with the changing of the seasons
I look over my shoulder
& all I see is Thursday
blankly staring me in the face
maybe laughing or maybe crying
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
how do you explain
to someone you love
there is beauty in pain
especially when unable
to feel anything yourself
numb to the very idea
that the physical world
as you know it is dying
forgiving is the easy part
though never sure
about the forgetting
especially considering
those moments
that may or may not have
defined your influence
or imaginary existence
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 