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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

15 Aug 2019

occurrences at the break of dawn


I’ve repeating dreams
experiencing violent deaths
but each morning
I awaken unharmed

the occurrences are infrequent
but make no mistake
the pattern cannot be overlooked
each episode unrelated to the next

periodically I wonder
or better yet analyze the meaning
behind these dreams
whether what I’m witnessing
has absolutely nothing to do with me
and everything to do with you




august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
14 Aug 2019

rhetorically speaking


this is sick I heard her say
but truth be told
she could be talking
about anything

anything for you
I quickly exclaimed
tipping a cap
I wasn’t wearing

maybe I’m just having
a bad dream
maybe this isn’t happening
[she’s repeatedly saying using
arms and hands extensively]

or maybe [I quietly interrupt]
everything’s happening
for reasons unexplainable

indifferent to my reminder
she settled into a position
somewhere between iceland
and the netherlands
memoing and addressing
one postcard after another

we’re the lucky ones
I went on to say
my mind slowly powering down

but she would hear none of it
and just like that she was
off again into another world




august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
13 Aug 2019

age of aquarius


wherever I go I’m bound by water
whether rivers or lakes
streams or ponds
always near as I move
from place to place
following me like the pale moon

it’s as if I was born to dream
of rod and reel
license and stamp
walking along little mill
tackle box in hand
searching for that perfect pool
where freshwater trout
gather to stay cool

I’m told the age of aquarius
is subject to interpretation
though for some reason I believe
I’m alive in its midst
the month of march always
bringing me luck
while the constellation pisces
remains slightly out of reach




august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Fishing, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
12 Aug 2019

stirring the seed in the soil


it seems the trick is to feed your body
with specific types and amounts of oil
or so I’m learning there is more to nature
than leaf and flower and feather and bone

to the perfect alien we are one in the same
especially when viewed a million miles away
subtleties at best captured in a mirror
attached to a wall countless centuries ago

in the urban garden there is more to life
than surveillance and common temptations
abundance showing itself in spades
evident on low hanging vines and branches

folklore and concoctions openly compete
promoting cures and extending lives
nearly all sharing a simple solution
showing respect to the goodness of earth




august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
11 Aug 2019
2 Comments

living for tomorrow


tomorrow I shall become one with the spade
and move half the black-eyed susans
from the garden to behind the fence
long before they go to seed

tomorrow I shall make a list
and commit to memory what else
needs to be done before the season ends

tomorrow I shall learn to live again
ridding myself of past mistakes and failures
forgiving myself as well as my enemies
a simple reminder how all lives still matter




august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
10 Aug 2019
2 Comments

Quick Trip


It’s early August and I understand
I need a new mousetrap
that is can’t seem to locate the last one
that seemed to work so well

It’s not easy these days
focusing on lists
whether it be for fruits or
vegetables or perishables
or adding one-timers to the mix
like peppermint extract
and tabasco and wooden matches
and oh yeah
don’t forget the mousetrap

How many times I’ve gone down this road
is highly immeasurable
each trip different than the last
orange cones and patchwork and detours
muddying the landscape [making me]
constantly changing my mind




august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
09 Aug 2019
3 Comments

turn by turn navigation


let us reexamine where we’ve gone
thus far relatively speaking

there seems to be some question
regarding our general direction

one step forward and two steps back
why is it we keep stepping on cracks

though indifferent toward religion
saying prayers is still an option

I thought we had come here for good
but since learned we’re only visiting

though preparations must be made
we find ourselves living for the day

and those promises made long ago
will outlast any ancient road




august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
08 Aug 2019

going through the motions


everything was crystal clear
in my mind
what I wanted to say
but when the time came to act
I froze in my own tracks
one foot in front of the other
body in full motion
memory failing

I called my mother today
to see how they were doing
aches and pains
too proud to hire a maid
it took some doing
coaxing a laugh via chit chat
neither of us interested
delving deeper than that




august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
07 Aug 2019
4 Comments

life has become cumbersome


standing at the edge
water motionless like ice
casting reflections in my eye
smooth stone within grasp
half the size of a hand
I press and release
press and release
unable to change its shape

past years once a blur
slowly come back into focus
realization setting in
that despite my true intentions
I could neither mold
nor influence nor protect you

some flowers bloom once
and some bloom dead
yet stones accumulate
constantly recirculating
some skipping across water
others creating makeshift walls
temporarily shielding me
from a world I once knew




august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
06 Aug 2019

countdown and liquid cocktails


we were in the great wide open
sitting in soft spots among the masses
assembled orderly and taking in
sights and sounds under the sun

random thoughts run and hide
delving into a past of murder mysteries
fast forwarding to an uncertain future
where children board space shuttles

eventually darkness enveloped the light
countdown leading engines to ignite
all celestials beings coming into focus
suddenly obliterated from our view




august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
05 Aug 2019

talking to god


grieving ground
trembles and rumbles
children in bare feet
running through the jungle
sometimes smiling
crying
laughing
mourning
learning firsthand
about death
one day at a time

a river runs through
its heart center
a pulsating lifeline
promising something
than mere survival
repetitive
contemplative
remorseful
teaching firsthand
about life
one death at a time




august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
04 Aug 2019
2 Comments

when the sun refuses to shine


who am I to weep so openly
for those at least six degrees
of separation away from me

there is a man I do not know
a father and brother and friend
on a mission to spray paint
his son on any wall for all to see

from city to city he travels
reminding everyone in his wake
those unfairly taken from us
continue to live on
through every action we take




august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
03 Aug 2019
2 Comments

on choosing friends and lesser gods


surrender not
neither to friend nor foe
rather carry on with purpose
for there is work yet to be done

listen not to nike nor nemesis
for neither are on your side
instead look inwardly
and find yourself




august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , ,
02 Aug 2019
2 Comments

who wants to make a wager


death to taxes
and to hell with tariffs
I open my e-wallet and wonder
where all the money went

sports betting
now there’s a novel idea
two to one patriots
make it back on the big stage
those sons-a-bitches

pit boss keeps checking
those little cubes in big fat fingers
as if the chinese or russians
are somehow influencing
the roll of the dice

talking heads
can’t stop talking about wikileaks
or some such shit
ordering me back
to the polling place
as if this time my vote counts




august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
01 Aug 2019
2 Comments

transplant song


cut up a sponge
and place in the bottom
of a pot
singing hong kong
taipei and beijing

throw in some rocks
and scoop in
garden soil
singing istanbul
allepo and baghdad

giving new lease
on life
to african violet
singing mogadishu
accra and nairobi






august two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
31 Jul 2019
9 Comments

call me up in the middle of the night


I wake up and I’ve got nothing to say
rather listening to birdsong
infiltrating through screen windows
reminding me the need to sing like them

it seems to me they know something
more about life than they let on
leading me to believe I should spend
less time hanging out in the weeds

I’ve been busy making birdhouses
mainly because I don’t know
how to build a rose

I’ve been busy navigating maps
designed to get me from this point
to the next sunrise

it seems to me that by this time
I should know something more than you
but truth be told we were both born
with all the knowledge in the world

I wake up and find myself whistling
a song I learned long ago
a little ditty always close to my heart
whether wide awake or dreaming




july two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Dreams, Poetry and tagged ,

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