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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

13 Jun 2018
2 Comments

a lesson in forgiving oneself


so here we are again
resting comfortably on the veranda
              subconsciously
dissecting the gemini new moon
reminiscing about what could have been
       and what will be
after we have left this earth

emotional scars supercede
the physical variety
              the former carried
into the afterlife
       the latter simply becoming
compost or better yet
              burns in the fire

it’s perfectly fine to have regrets
but the chances of being born again
              increase tenfold
and if not ~ well there are no guarantees
       that the sky is ever the limit




june two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
12 Jun 2018
9 Comments

soaring high by her side


he instinctively wants to feed her
but has no idea where to begin
unable to comprehend
if he should start with the seed
or pick the fruit from the vine

she understands him much better
than he knows himself
but does not say a word
instead focuses on cleansing
his shoreline by bringing
wave upon wave upon wave

she nourishes him subconsciously
sublimely feeding him music
soothingly repeating his name
weaving wildflowers in his mane

he dreams of cherry tomatoes
and purple grapes
widening his mouth like a starved fledgling
having no idea one day
he will be soaring high by her side




june two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Nature, Poetry and tagged ,
11 Jun 2018
2 Comments

at the speed of light


skipping rocks in space
the flatter the better so they say
skimming along invisible waves
making wishes as they fade
light years away

where they finally wind up
nobody really knows
(except the creator)
perhaps as a collective of
gold-colored coins
deposited into a simple pot
strategically placed
at the end of an endless rainbow




june two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
10 Jun 2018

artists on the run


we are everyday people
well known on the streets
beloved but misunderstood
working for the greater good
and transitioning day by day

authorities keep us running
from one place to the next
from city to state to country
carving calligraphy inside caves
pasting portraits of unsung
heroes on border walls

we are everyday people
telling your untold stories
stories of scarcity and neglect
praying the world one day
wakes up and takes notice




june two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
09 Jun 2018
16 Comments

black-eyed children


they show up unannounced
usually in pairs
one child taller than the other
both seemingly out of place in time
both in speech and in dress
beckoning you in such a way that will
make every hair on your body rise

they might ring your doorbell
approach you while walking alone
or simply parked in your car
asking for a ride or to use your phone
so that they may contact their parents

they appear to be in distress
their skin pale and eyes dark
and when you finally come close enough
to discover they have no pupils
no corneas
no white showing at all
you immediately become afflicted

do not acquiesce to their requests
instead keep your distance
run away
lock your doors
pray they simply move on
for nobody knows what consequences
may transpire should you choose
to open your heart to them





june two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

This poem is in response to a blog post I came across today by Paranormal Author, Artist & Empath Sheila Renee Parker entitled “Spooky Random Fact: #9”

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
08 Jun 2018
7 Comments

saturday morning at wal*mart


razor blades and toothbrush
unscented hand lotion and 1.75 cheaters

birdseed and potting soil and charcoal briquettes
checking the price on old-fashioned weber grill

looking down at the list I walk mechanically
10w40 motor oil
maybe a fishing lure or two
floor mats for the mazda
safety glasses and fluorescent vest

I find myself singing to the music piped in
or is it just my imagination
pretending I don’t see zombies
walking by with their carts and belly buttons
exposed tattoos and piercings and odor
reminding me not to forget to pick up
a few bars of soap

retrograding back to where I left off
I peruse bicycles suspended magically
promising someone special one day
this one will be hers

shoes and sandals and wranglers
fruit of the loom and hawaiian shirts
all marked down for people just like me

asking myself how I’m gonna pay for
all of this
I smile broadly and quietly whistle
pushing my cart purposely
up and down the grocery aisles




june two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
07 Jun 2018
7 Comments

surviving the winter without her


there were so many things to be said
but instead I lay silent
knowing that spring was here
that it could be the last

she loved wearing summer dresses
falling just below the knee
floral in pattern and ever so light
and when the sun hit just right
cast me back into one of her spells

by the time autumn arrives
her god-given powers faded southward
rendering me to my own devices
leaving me to decide for myself
how to survive another winter




june two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged ,
06 Jun 2018
6 Comments

lost opportunities


these addictions have become commonplace
even though in reality they’ve
resided in the recesses of everyday minds
centuries before either you or I were born

what I wouldn’t give to hear your guitar
gently weeping again
taking me to places specific in time
places meant for only you and me

the storm destined to light up the night sky
somehow dissolved into nothingness
and so here I sit all alone again
wondering what could have been




june two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
05 Jun 2018
6 Comments

crows of aleppo


crow followed me home
like a shadow over my sorrow
squawking like a dog does
not knowing where to turn

by the time I got there
it had burned to the ground
that crow following me home
suddenly a dozen or more

as they circled up above
a calm enveloped my being
those crows following me home
neither ally nor enemy




june two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , ,
04 Jun 2018
13 Comments

firefly


there is poetry in sadness
and vice versa if you like
a far cry from madness
residing inside a troubled mind

to imagine happiness
arising from darkness
is a beautiful possibility to those
in search of inner peace

to the poet an opening
is ever present for all to find
regardless of any circumstance
no matter how slight




june two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
03 Jun 2018
8 Comments

can I graduate


we’ve been in line for years
learning lessons the hard way
snipers with rifles sitting yards away
picking us off one at a time

we really didn’t know
we were standing in line
we thought it was just a drill
like marching down hallways single file
or hunkering underneath desks
arms and hands covering our heads

but now here we are today
this bright beautiful saturday afternoon
an outside ceremony
price tag tassels on mortarboard caps
a lone rifleman undetected
somewhere in the crowd
randomly picking us off again
one graduate at a time




june two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
02 Jun 2018

change in scenery


lost in pages near open window
intermittent sunshine
partners with sporadic showers
inducing notions of contemplation

yesterday but an afterthought
like unfinished daydreams
shadowy figurines creeping
along walls of unforgiving concrete

having concluded another story
you allow your eyes to rest
welcoming a newfound breeze
cooler than the days before




june two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
01 Jun 2018
4 Comments

emotional like the sea


sunrises come and go
climbing and dropping like clockwork
turning pale skin to red
and correcting failing vision

inside you is this acumen
as powerful as the midday sun
dying to expose itself
for all the world to see

heartbeats ebb and flow
like half moon across midnight green
at mercy with the tides
and hoping not to die




june two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
31 May 2018
2 Comments

inside map rooms


all things are eventual
if not downright equal
why not let them play out as they may
instead of contemplating
various scenarios inside map rooms
where alternative endings
are inherently undesirable




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , ,
30 May 2018
4 Comments

quietly falling back to earth


an inch of rain fell overnight
though I had no idea

it was as if I had been kept
inside some secret hiding place
isolated from the reality
that is the outside world

sometimes I want to be included
to be ‘in the know’ as they say
capable of explaining how my breath
is visible on cool autumn mornings

oftentimes I find myself drifting
studying beautiful minds with fingertips
delicate as porcelain and
ever-changing like rolling hills

though the rain did not awaken me
I was suddenly released from
this secret hiding place
unbound and once again aware




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
29 May 2018
9 Comments

another extravagant night


it was a black and white murder
in low to moderate neighborhood
vehicles lining both sides of streets
stray cats smoking jays in alleyways

informants seemed to lurk everywhere
but none of them were talking
having taking cover in pawnshops
and city parks and nearby boxing club

local police tape off the area by spotlight
interviewing scores of witnesses
waiting for pink panther to arrive

firetrucks and ambulances come and go
leaving behind two chalk outlines

so it seems nobody saw a goddamn thing
and one by one household lights turn off

come daybreak paperboy arrives
followed by little ones skipping down steps
hauling backpacks and walking with best friends
waving at local policemen and wondering
who it was that got popped last night




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,

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