jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

01 May 2019

late bloomers


it still feels like April
the world going nowhere fast
like a vinyl forty-five spinning
soundlessly on a turntable

of course there’s nothing
wrong with slowing things down
at least according to Simon
who relentlessly kicks
down cobblestones

cool rain comes and goes
like a game of peek-a-boo
tamping down
good-intentioned deeds
and daffodil dreams

despite all the outside noise
a quietness remains within
silently reminding you
there’s always a way out





may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
30 Apr 2019
5 Comments

counting the days


tomorrow’s may day
and here I am boiling eggs
and weaving wicker baskets

I’ve not slept for nights
worrying how I’ll get everything
done in time
30 color markers all lined up
in a row

sometimes it seems like
it’s rained all month long
reminding me of biblical
stories and recent
real life events

though the end always
remains in sight
brighter days are certain to
lie ahead
and what’s transpired
these past thirty days
[though somewhat transitory]
are anything but an illusion





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
29 Apr 2019
3 Comments

150 foot foundations


they keep digging up bones
moving them from one
sanctioned place to the next
this time far from city lights

protesters are well-prepared
to be run over by earth movers
arm-in-arm and squatting
chanting what gives you the right

some say it’s sacrilegious
to be displaced for such reasons
as if full color panoramic views
far outweigh black & white





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged ,
28 Apr 2019
8 Comments

pragmatism


so many people think my poetry must be autobiographical
but to tell the truth I am unsure whether it is or not. I sat up
all hours of the night last night contemplating this very idea
and was unable to draw a conclusion. but it got me thinking
about so many years ago when I was just eighteen and had
lost my drivers license before graduating from high school.
I recall it as the loneliest summer of my life even though I
have no empirical memories to support the claim. somehow
I got past it and soon was set free in Iowa City where I spent
the next four years going to college and learning how to drink
beer and smoke weed. throughout my stay I experimented
with senseless poetry. despite receiving recommendations
from more than one professor to take up a different vocation
I continued to write for no particular reason which is probably
why I don’t know exactly what it is that I’m doing to this day.





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
27 Apr 2019
3 Comments

god have mercy on their souls


violence breeds violence
how am I not next to fall victim
unless forever denying
my own spirituality

daily horoscope reads
steer clear of stone temples
making sure to feed your dog
before feeding your own face

it matters not the holiday
be it passover or easter or diwali
ramadan or day of the dead
wherever worshipers gravitate
the sun continues to rise





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
26 Apr 2019
5 Comments

change in forecast


the hour is fast approaching
and the well has run dry

a mother sends her child with pail
in hand out into the wild
instructed not to return home
empty-handed

the city is safer than the jungle
during the rainy season
talking heads on social media
furthering the debate

a fire breaks out in the country
ignited by lightning
chasing four-legged chattel
into the next county

a daughter sits alone in chair
rocking slowly in the dry heat
feeding her thoughts with patience
while practicing her breathing

the hour is fast approaching
and suddenly the well is overflowing





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
25 Apr 2019
3 Comments

practicing the art of deception


I was going incognito at the drugstore
picking up a few necessities
and a prescription for my neighbor Jimmy

I pretended my head wasn’t spinning
as I breezed past the pain killers
thinking what I got back home
is better than anything over the counter

that’s about the time I spotted her
at least fifteen years younger than me
[and three years removed from memory]
two aisles over browsing bandages

I lowered my cap and headed for the door
reminding myself on the short walk home
how my eyes have been deceiving me





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
24 Apr 2019
6 Comments

don’t stand so close to me


I’m uncomfortable in my thoughts
needing a hand to reach out
and take me somewhere
I’ve never been
somewhere far far away

I can’t seem to find a natural
position on a couch without pillows
so I sit up and cross my legs
asking the stranger in the room
what it was she just asked me

for some reason I got the police
stuck in the head
most likely from some tweet
I may have happened upon
or perhaps from a flashback
circa nineteen eighty

either way I’m suddenly uneasy
feeling like I need some
kind of fix I can’t seem to lay
my hands on
knowing full well talking things
through may not do the trick





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
23 Apr 2019
4 Comments

attracting butterflies


how the garden grows
in my absence

photos clicked and sent
my way via
short message service

I don’t own a device
anymore
but I can still receive

be they still or moving
or downright blossoming
it matters not

I like the bleeding hearts best
almost always first
or second to arrive
depending upon the winter

I promise I’ll be back soon
it’s only temporary
where I’ve been
or where I’m going

if memory serves me right
the tulips will be next





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
22 Apr 2019
2 Comments

slight chance of rain


the sun she is setting
radiating a cloudless sky
casting a spectrum of colors
before my tired eyes

within arms reach
a jar of whiskey speaks to me
whispering my name
like my lover used to do

the sun she has fallen
taking with her promises
of meteor showers
and brighter tomorrows

the whiskey ages
in my unstoppable dreams
slowly separating from the jar
as the night rages on





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
21 Apr 2019
2 Comments

misery loves company


sun going down on a sunday evening
there’s no place I’d rather be but right
here where there’s no place to hide

I’ve been told sometimes I’m
somebody other than myself
standing perfectly still in the light
leaning toward the darker side

electric lights lose their brilliance
on the clearest of moonlit nights
complimenting the city of flowers
opening up to the lost and lonely

despite such compromise here I am
alive in this black and white world
enthusiastically tiptoeing its fine line





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
20 Apr 2019

Four 20 Buzz Cut


It’s April 20 1985
and I’ve got nothing
to write home about

I’m down to less
than a few grams
separating sterile seeds
Budweiser serving tray
[purchased once upon a time
in Saint Louis Missouri]
positioned loosely on my lap

And now here I am
pretending I’m this hot
shot pharmacist
prescribing my own remedies
to whatever it is
that ails me

In the meanwhile
rock and roll music continues
to play on FM radio





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
19 Apr 2019
4 Comments

breaking my fast


it’s good friday
and I’m thinking of downsizing
yet again
sell the place as is
and buy something with just
enough room
to keep my thoughts
all to myself

of course I’d donate
a closet full of clothing
and sell most of the furnishings
giving a tenth
of the proceeds
to the immaculate conception
that inner city sanctuary
renown for feeding
the hungry
and saying mass in spanish
every day at noon

there are plenty of other
crosses
I’m in need of bearing
thinking they may
lighten my overall penance
but for the moment
I’m content staying put
resting my eyes and
breaking bread
come daylight





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , ,
18 Apr 2019

reemergence


I’m seeing spots everywhere
as if I’m five years
old once again
older siblings
I’ve not seen in ages
walking about like white zombies

outside my window
drones disguised as hummingbirds
feed on information
gathering what they may and
zipping away
as quickly as they came

flashbacks return
like lightning striking twice
bringing me to my knees and leaving
me aghast
subconsciously wishing I was
never born again





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
17 Apr 2019
4 Comments

vacationing in Colorado


I’m not going there
she said
can you please change the channel
there must be more to life
than current events
sapping all your energy

we had just sat down
at a local dispensary
having ordered two craft beers
and a bowl of purple sensimilla
the remote control to the TV
directly overhead
within arms reach

what about the Rockies game
I suggested
do you consider pro baseball
current events

that all depends upon who
they’re playing
she answered
not to mention how quickly this weed
will make me not care about anything





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Baseball, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , ,
16 Apr 2019
4 Comments

cardboard boxes and packing tape


this space is too much
it’s outgrown me
and unless I start leasing some of it out
to collegians or critters or such
I’m afraid it may do me in

sometimes the spaciousness
overwhelms me
and I find myself needing to get away
so I slip on my walking boots
hightail it to the nearest nature trail

while I’m away I sort things through
reconciling every single detail
needing to be minimized
my mind slowly becoming sharper
the longer I stay away





april two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →