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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

12 Jan 2020

jack daniels and candlesticks


cancellations and closings
scrolling ad nauseum
alphabetically directly below
animated weather map

the snow never came
like they said it would
though the freezing rain
arrived unexpectedly
sleeting sideways and relentlessly
coating every single wire and branch
from here until next tuesday
putting the city and her
satellites out of commission

there’ll be no welfare checks
not tonight or tomorrow or
maybe ever again
the powers that be giving way
to unapologetic anarchy
all because of a little weather




january two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
11 Jan 2020
7 Comments

ready. aim. fire.


wielding rifle or bow and arrow
shooting apples out of the sky
see how they fall one by one
nobody on the ground to catch them

a collection basket on sunday
quickly filling with thoughts and prayers
empty promises passed from one
lost soul to the next
hush money as they say
as if the original atrocity wasn’t enough

watch where you’re aiming young man
otherwise your fiery missile
could miss and hit
the broadside of the moon
thereby unleashing untold consequences




january two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged ,
10 Jan 2020

where do we go from here


I knew his intentions
from the very beginning
having picked me up just before
noon in the big boat convertible
six rolling rock tall boys
sweating in the back seat

we find ourselves on unfamiliar
backroads without directions
he calmly says
he’s got this one
as we slow things down
and gradually ratchet up the hill

once at the top I close my eyes
he raises his hands off the wheel
suddenly recreating
a scene he’s always known
and me instantly realizing
this time he’s not alone




january two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
09 Jan 2020
2 Comments

though the earth never stops quaking


streetlamps shining
casting eerie shadows
before the dead of dawn
crows waking sparrows
the former curiously trailing
one thousand feet
marching on city streets

some say even though
the earth never stops quaking
the fog of war will one day
dissipate unto itself
giving way to a certain
kind of incomparable light
like an everlasting sunrise




january two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
07 Jan 2020
6 Comments

blind date


I hadn’t shaved in a few days
but at least I showered

I keep telling myself I’m doing
so much better since

they talked me down

and now here I am
a few days later going on

a blind date

smelling somewhat delicious
and sporting a three day beard

as I wait looking out the front window
I keep asking myself

what the hell am I supposed
to talk about




january two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
06 Jan 2020

115 Iowa Avenue


I keep changing for no apparent reason
one nondescript day superseding the next
as if I was back in college

The night before you leave a message
about hooking up at Joe’s Place

Of course I don’t recall your words
until the next morning
and by the time I’m halfway through
19th Century Literature
I’m making up any kind of excuse
to cut the hell loose

It’s 4 pm on a Monday afternoon
and I’m exactly where I want to be
[albeit some forty years later]
ordering a cold one and stringing
together words on ruled paper
laying 50/50 odds this time you’ll show




january two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
05 Jan 2020

errand boy in a foreign land


go and find out what the people
are saying on the streets he tells me
so I put on my coat and gloves and hat
and leave the safety of the consulate

the winds are strong and push me
three blocks toward the city center
to the river where a mass of unknowns
huddle with picket signs and chanting
in a language I do not understand

the closer I approach the swarm
the more I realize I’m an invisible alien
set out on some improbable quest
quite possibly never to return back home




january two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
04 Jan 2020
2 Comments

made in america


playing monopoly halfway seriously
building hotels on mediterranean avenue
all the while dabbling in regional politics

you might find expats inside crossfire cafe
plying chocolate lattes and rolling dice
taking undue risks for a small piece of the pie

since when were any of us ever really safe
whether rebuilding railroads or utilities
dodging bullets or thrown shoes
all of which were likely made in america




january two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged ,
03 Jan 2020
4 Comments

too good to be true


how many times have I said this
whether directly
or in so many words
sitting on the front porch swing
or lying back on the hood
of your ‘69 camaro
counting stars on a cloudless night

each time you tell me
you’ve no idea what’s in store
I reply with a silent nod and smile
imagining one day
the light will shine just right
and you’ll know
exactly how good it can be




january two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
02 Jan 2020

painted faces


we’re a militia of sorts
not quite young men but certainly
not children
we carry maps and canteens
and know the terrain
better than any local old men

khakis and camouflage
work best inside these ancient
indian trails
where tree climbing and sniping
go hand in hand
protecting friend from foe

self taught and preserving
what little turf we’ve left
we fight for immunity
against all unnatural laws
aimed at cleansing
any peoples like our own




january two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
01 Jan 2020
2 Comments

making arrangements


where you do you start when
there’s so much to be done

I didn’t get in the car today
it was the coldest day of the young year
I was thinking about yesterday
and those huddled in front of the library
at closing time
worn faces sharing a cigarette and
speaking fervently

in those few seconds as I drove by
I wondered what got them there
and where they would spend the night

yet again I digress in thought
while so many things need to be done
housekeeping issues I like to call them
mundane details needing to be sorted out
before making my next move

but for some reason I’m paralyzed
frozen in my tracks so to speak
staring out the back window
hoping to spot some sign of life

I glance at my phone on the counter
thinking I should call someone




january two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
31 Dec 2019
9 Comments

no longer a distraction


I’ve been without a head
for quite a while now
and to be honest I’m starting
to get used to it

I’ve no idea if people have been staring
[since I’m unable to see]
but something tells me they are
and I could care less

I keep hearing the same questions
like what it’s like to always
have my head in the clouds
or the more obvious
have you lost your head man

of course I don’t answer
[I mean how could I possibly answer]
instead I go about my business
as if it’s just another day
and all those around me
are simply a past tense distraction




december two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
30 Dec 2019

french toast for two or three


she was in the kitchen
decked in checkered apron
testing chicken eggs in an oversized
coffee mug filled with tepid water

the ones that floated were edible
[or so she says]
and the ones that did not
those that sank to the bottom
did not pass for human consumption

and so it appeared on this
sunday morning
four out of five made the grade
and the one that did not
was set aside
as fodder for some poor fool




december two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
29 Dec 2019
6 Comments

the spirit will find a way


lost in thought on this late
december afternoon
oak leaves circulating
throughout the neighborhood
wet and scattering
and firmly planted
in the back of my mind
tens of hundreds of them
their varying shapes
reminding me of summer clouds
imitating anything imaginable
derailing my train of thought

I see an angel and elephant
pooh bear and little roo too
a steam locomotive
chugging across an endless plain
while out of the corner
of my eye
a red cardinal
perched stately on picket fence
calls me to my feet
awakening my lost spirit
and freeing me
from my sunday melancholy




december two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Poetry and tagged , ,
28 Dec 2019
4 Comments

staring down the sun


sometimes you just have to get
up and move
far away from where you once were
destination undefined
no purpose necessary

dress well and be on your way
it’s a lonely world out there
and you’ll fit in just fine
(just like you always have)
emptying your mind in the brisk air
your footfalls like a timepiece
you once wore on your wrist

what goes through your mind
is of no consequence
what matters now
is how you’ll find your way
from point A to point B
either by way of memory
or the angle of the sun




december two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
27 Dec 2019

hosanna hey sanna


a lone dove circles
high above ancient metropolis
well-trained in surveillance
and deception
like a modern day drone

miles away at desert’s edge
a lone donkey materializes
out of thin air
soon to be surrounded
by a dozen escorts
crawling towards the city

cloaks and branches
line inner city streets
crowds abuzz and growing
all eyes witnessing
21st century possibilities




december two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment

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