jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

28 May 2018
2 Comments

saturday afternoon matinee


I first saw you in a movie
your lines were well rehearsed
an unforgettable voice
repeatedly calling my name

as much I wanted to return
I couldn’t bear to see you again
knowing your lines
(though well rehearsed)
were never meant for me

in my dreams
we meet frequently
but it was always
a one-sided conversation
one that I can no longer
bear to repeat

I’ve since come to understand
we were never really there
and I was always left
to my own devices
uttering words sometimes
meant to be written down
other times simply regrettable




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged ,
27 May 2018
2 Comments

hundreds of missing children


narrow slashes of daylight
creep along wood floor
filtering in through tall and narrow
opaque windows on either
side of closed front door

outside it’s 99 degrees fahrenheit
all the shades are drawn
gray tiger sprawled out
on same wood floor
conflicted by uncontrollable
desires to chasing butterflies

fan blades rotate circularly
redistributing manufactured air
breathed in by robo-occupants
out of touch with outside world
where hundreds of children go missing




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
26 May 2018
2 Comments

old records off the shelf


so many songs about saturday night
up and down the radio dial
forever cast into eternity
thanks to artistry and antigravity

and there you are behind the curtain
hairbrush in your hand
belting out your favorite songs
younger siblings doubting your sanity




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , ,
25 May 2018
9 Comments

the tempest and the shrew


we keep having this conversation
over and over again
and each time I find myself
considering apologizing for things
I may have thought but ever said

she’s a storm
a whirlwind
a truth-seeker without a guide
and whenever the mood strikes her
she dashes back into my life
hotly intense and incredibly refreshing

it’s as if she’s put my passion in a pot
stirring it incessantly
making me say things I would never dare repeat
inside a confessional

eventually things gradually settle into place
and I am temporarily at ease
but by the time morning sets in
the storm has either passed
or is raging again ever so violently




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
24 May 2018

god of water and wine


favorite places need no more information
in fact less is better
so be sure to check your phone in at the door

detach your attention from an imperfect world
capture my bright blue eyes
imagine they communicate like satellites

encounters of strange kind happening frequently
as long as you’re around
keeping me wide awake and second guessing

what in the world resurrects me back in your arms
only god knows for sure
comforting like undying stars in the night sky




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
23 May 2018

the beautiful ones


rat races don’t give us any answers
but certainly lead to many questions
especially when gathered in social settings
giving thanks to days long gone and
offering sacrifices for a better tomorrow

as it turned out there were few secluded
spaces where we could gather unnoticed
guarded by a dwindling workforce
but cherishing the time we had together
isolated from all the violence and death




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
22 May 2018
2 Comments

bay fishing


we sat on the dock
feet dangling and bobbers
bobbing atop quiet wakes
ushered in by a dying sun
succumbing to giant moon

we spoke occasionally
about deficits and taxes and
royal weddings
steering clear of world wars
and foreign matters

for the most part though
we kept the conversation
to a minimum
drinking the king’s ale
waiting for mackerel to strike




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Fishing, Poetry and tagged , ,
21 May 2018
8 Comments

cool and dark blue change


do not try to put into focus
that which remains blurred
let it fuse into nothingness
as it was meant to be

forget about putting into words
unspeakable thoughts
rather let such notions disperse
like dandelion spores

those premonitions interloping
between dreamlike states
learn to let them escape your grasp
relish in their freedom

once finding clarity in belief
you may then proceed
accepting the terms of darkness
and its mystic promise




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , ,
20 May 2018
4 Comments

experimenting with burnt umber


she says she keeps putting out fires
but I have no idea what she means
afterall she spends her days in studio
throwing colors on canvases
only to whitewash them a few days later

I tell her I really like those inferno pieces
lava flowing into the sea
destroying everything in its path
upper story skyscrapers burning uncontrollably
tiny people waving white flags out windows

it’s all too depressing she tells me
too much like real life
I’d much rather come up with
something unrealistically fashionable
like butterflies or dragonflies
rescuing fallen angels from the gates of hell




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
19 May 2018
4 Comments

midmorning visions


settling into melancholic reflection
off and on rain and weakening sun
falling behind green glistening treeline
a reminder how tricks of the mind
turn fact into fiction

I’ve seen this scenery off and on
but each time the outcome varies
especially come midmorning
eyelids repeatedly blinking
dreams working overtime

though sunlight often penetrates
past horizontal slats
many times it’s nothing but madness
mysteriously flickering off and on
desperately trying to awaken me




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , ,
18 May 2018
4 Comments

it’s her turn to cry


waiting for the rain to stop
for the pocket phone to ring
waiting for the midnight train
taking me to promised land

you’ve been gone so long
I’ve forgotten how to find you
sitting on a depot bench
I watch the trains crawl by

waiting becomes cumbersome
patience a thing of the past
I walk away from the waiting
waving goodbye one last time




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
17 May 2018
2 Comments

tomorrow is missing you


every sunday I arise after friday
amazed to find I am still in one piece
perfectly aware one day
it will not always be this way

there are mountains to the west
and ocean green to the south
I flip a coin to decide which way to go

where there was once war
now resides everlasting peace
(and vice versa)
just like great lakes are deserts

at times I find myself intrigued
and content and borderline desperate
chasing answers to age-old catechisms

in the end I find comfort in the legitimacy
of my inner voice whispering in my ear
whether I’m wide awake or deep in sleep
reminding me there will come a time
we shall reunite




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all right reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
16 May 2018
2 Comments

postcards from afar


we thought he had moved out
for good this time
leaving behind a few possessions
nobody dared to care about

some throw pillows
a trinket or two misplaced here or there
some perishables left in the pantry
and a few dirty dishes
on or around the dining room table

though he never did pay rent
we didn’t mind him hanging out
especially on quiet saturday mornings

what gets under my skin
how he never did leave a note
or better yet sent a postcard from
some faraway place
leaving me second guessing
what could I have done
to make him feel more welcome




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all right reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
15 May 2018

Retiring somewhere near Mendocino Bay


We were dead set on going out west
to California no less
north of wine country where we could
easily assimilate without much effort

There were details to work out
such as putting the pets up for adoption
and finding new sitters
for the children’s children

With little left to do in a town where
everyone knows your name
we consider ourselves history
just as soon as we mastermind
our final final bank heist




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all right reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
14 May 2018
2 Comments

in search of flowers


out of thin air shallow breaths are born
giving life where there was once none
providing comfort to those who grieve
to those whose lives are in desperate
need of meaningful nurturing

burial grounds of once mighty empires
have long expired and recycled into
fields of grasses and wildflowers
articulated masterpieces of complexion
breathing quietly and free from harm




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all right reserved

Posted in History, Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
13 May 2018

twelve pound test line


sitting on narrow part of bridge
we fish from the bottom
at three-thirty in the morning
having closed the bars
we now chat side by side
unexpectedly witnessing
waxing moon blooming

while most people dream
we resume this conversation
started decades ago
at last coming to a head
suddenly realizing
past years made no sense
and most likely never will




may two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all right reserved

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

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →