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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

14 Mar 2019
3 Comments

this place is sacred


eyes blink rapidly like wings
of a bird taking flight
shaking loose cobwebs stitched
delicately throughout the night

though the shades are drawn
sunlight leaks in from cracks
in the window panes
stretched thin over time

house frame beams and sighs
breathing a little easier
since having no place to go
like oak tree outside the window

movements aplenty in and out
like apparitions in the hallway
a pair of cardinals on the bough
welcoming heavenly visitors





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
13 Mar 2019
6 Comments

before you do


won’t you please
make another pot of tea
and stay with me awhile

we can try on
those thinking caps
the ones I told you about
last time you were here
the ones I bought at the
flea market back when
you were just a child

or we can dial up
another sci-fi movie and
marvel at the special effects
like we used to do
all the while sharing
some buttered popcorn
never saying a single word

but if you must move on
that much I understand
but won’t you please please please
start another pot for me
before you do





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
12 Mar 2019

guilty by design


how do you capture such moments
involved in the ordinary course of events
seemingly normal amongst the masses
but once retracted in your very own space
feeling cornered and desperately alone

and so you pick up whatever instrument
that happens to be at your disposal
scratching at the very surface that scares you
recreating designs and inventing words
only your inner self could ever understand





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
11 Mar 2019
5 Comments

on the fringes picking up pieces


you see me in your dream
taking notes on the sidelines
while the rest of the gang
sit on high like a panel of judges
or a murder of crows
calling on the next witness

I keep my wings tucked
inside my black jacket
pacing back and forth
along the roadside
keeping my mouth shut
and pretending I’m all alone

you’re the only one
recognizing me for who I am
perfectly capable of joining
your little inner circle
but modestly more at ease
scavenging on my own terms





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Dreams, Poetry and tagged , ,
10 Mar 2019
6 Comments

reflections in the night


two score after the destruction of civility
a strange peace swept across the planet

it was the year twenty ninety-five
and all major technological advances
of the past 100 years had been laid to rest

I was a mere teenager living off the land
somewhere in africa or asia or america
the exact location dependent upon
the moment my implant became inoperative

instinctively I became one with the sun
the moon and all the stars of the sky
gradually coming to realize I am nothing
but a child of all generations past
born to light a candle each and every night





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
09 Mar 2019
2 Comments

unlikely guardians


who will speak to me next
as if in tomorrow
standing here on the ground
looking up
bird’s nest in the open air
curious cat in my peripheral

I realize I’m not alone anymore
it only feels that way
stepping out of my skin
for the very first time
and looking back
through a bottomless mirror

so it seems the bird and cat
have been chosen
to encourage me on
one pushing
the other pulling
both bickering
in their own beautiful way





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Birds, Poetry and tagged , , ,
08 Mar 2019
5 Comments

painting Venus


she said I’m quite mad and it was
all I could do not to disagree

we’d been playing with ideas involving
tongues and keeping our eyes closed

there was nothing for us outside
save sunshine and possibilities

I’m tired of keeping my eyes closed
I said while sticking out my tongue

I’m tired of you being quite mad
she said crossing her pale white legs

as I returned to the canvas
she started singing like an angel





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
07 Mar 2019
2 Comments

dancing the pain away


ankle sprain wrapped twice
take two aspirin and call
me in the morning

the phone never did ring
and two days later
she had fled on foot

I looked out the door
and all I saw was wind
whipping through the avenue
reminding me of a song
I’d been meaning to finish

days later she was back
upstairs and immobile
either fast asleep
or wide awake
fighting bouts of cold sweat
and hallucinating blue skies
swearing to god one of these days
she’s gonna dance again





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
06 Mar 2019

old signs rising above the eastern horizon


I’m reading my daily horoscope
in the palm of my hand
seated at a table for two at a streetside cafe
waiting on an old acquaintance
who promised to make me young again

I’ve always been drawn
to the mysterious world of houses
and transits and T-square configurations
where struggles are witnessed by the naked eye
in the privacy of your own ruminations

whether or not this chance meeting
will ever take place
makes no difference to me or my imagination
as I sit here quietly reminiscing
how my own world may indeed be retrograding





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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

the big thaw


sheets of ice seem to be shrinking
right before our very eyes
but where are all the puddles I ask you
shouldn’t there be countless
puddles of mud

you give me the cold shoulder
retreating effortlessly
and just like those large sheets of ice
you recoil unto yourself
leaving not a drop in your wake





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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

rethinking a black & white world


I’ve paper but haven’t
any pen or pencil
anything reasonably
reliable to transfer
my scattered ideas
into chicken scratch

I’ve been feeding
my inconsistent thoughts
with edible charcoals and inks
yet nothing seems
to be sticking against
this stark white wall

restless and rummaging
for snacks inside the pantry
I accidentally uncover
finger paints of all colors
cleverly concealed
inside plastic eggshells





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
03 Mar 2019
4 Comments

momentary levitation


we danced and we laughed
far into the night
moonlight in our eyes
and tomorrow nothing
but a meaningless notion

invisible music plays
against the wind
turning tree branches
into violin strings
and sounding like
birdsong vibrations

we dance and we laugh
far into the night
while tomorrow is simply
a notion in our minds
that may or may not
come to pass





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
02 Mar 2019
12 Comments

anything less than a miracle


I used to think I was broken
until I came to understand
the power of healing

I used to think unconditional love
was an intangible theory
until I stumbled upon
the power of healing

I used to think our time on earth
no matter the duration
served no specific proposition
not until explicitly accepting
the power of healing



march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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

coup d’é·tat


raven queen in glass castle
never looked so vulnerable
routinely giving out orders
casting her gaze past the river

considering new strategies
for nearly a fortnight
she relies heavily
upon her royal blue entourage
twisting and turning
throughout the night
churning out new tactics

she sends out messengers
one after the next
but none ever return
perhaps caught in netting
set by her own disloyal knights

single-handedly vanquishing
the enemy from within
she proclaims old bridges
will be restored
now that the past has been
unconditionally conquered





march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
28 Feb 2019
2 Comments

a million miles yet to go


I’ve been unable to interpret
those bright scarlet colors
dominating my dreams
taking a toll on my stamina
night after night after night

this mistress of mine
appears in and out
of my space time continuum
her heart pumping
inside mine
soft kisses on my temples
promising eternal sleep

there are many more
opportunities beyond the sun
than most men know
and those bright red poppies
resurfacing in my
newfound field of vision
are just the beginning





february two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
27 Feb 2019
12 Comments

how shall I die tonight


how shall I die tonight
in this bountiful place
where all eyes remain
unfocused and fixed
on the light beyond
the second horizon

there is contagion
in the unspoken word
spread across lifetimes
where opposites attract
and darkness seeks
the faintest of light

how shall I die tonight
embraced in your arms
your sustaining words
like a whispering stream
meandering toward
something much quieter





february two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,

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