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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

07 Mar 2018
8 Comments

routine annual physical


sometimes I don’t even know myself
in fact at times I’m somebody
else entirely
and I wonder quite often
who the hell I’ve been talking to

and all the people coming in
and out of my life
I hardly know them either

my doctor says it’s perfectly normal
to become disconnected at my age
proceeds to ask me how much
alcohol I’ve been consuming these days

oh I don’t know I say lifting my eyebrows
maybe one or two drinks a day I suppose

oh I see she says
followed by a couple of coughs
a few strokes of the keyboard
smiling politely and soon thereafter
sending me on my merry way

I know she knows I’m lying
but it doesn’t really matter
and when I get home from the tavern
I crack open another beer

by this time I’ve already convinced
myself it wasn’t me lying to her
but that other guy
the one who knows me better
than I know myself
the one who comes and goes
at his imperious leisure





march two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
06 Mar 2018
8 Comments

the cult


I swim with jellyfish and love
how they’ve accepted me
as one of their own

with each passing day I
become less human
having shed my clothing
and learning to consume
that which disgusted me
only a new moon ago

they encourage me honestly
and applaud my earnest efforts
and since there are no mirrors
(here underwater)
I must take them at their word

I love that I’m slowly becoming
transparent
and for the first time in my life
I feel like I belong





march two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
05 Mar 2018
2 Comments

lowering expectations


oh my evocative moon
how your passions leave me emotionally spent
leaving me wanting more of what I can’t have
leaving me pretending

underdog contenders slip by the wayside
cosmic currents sweeping them
beneath the carpet
only to be rediscovered when least expected
presented as new darlings of the night sky

lucky stars come and falling stars go
but philosophic metaphors remain in flight
dashing in and out of dreams
like renegade comets bursting at the seams





march two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
04 Mar 2018
12 Comments

reconciling the world of art


addicted to art you look for inspiration
in most unusual places
taverns with motorcycles
hanging on walls
farmer markets with chocolate
covered butterflies and vegan jerky
sidewalks littered by children
carrying buckets of colored chalk

those walking dead around you
have limited value
as you attempt
to reconcile your obsessions
with mundane surroundings
your ordinary thoughts souring
your true intention of discovering
a way to master vivid imaginings

your dreams are not enough
you need to put them into action
and so you interact with the
world around you
the unpredictable one
the irreconcilable one
the pretty one and the ugly one
the one that comes and goes
as she pleases





march two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
03 Mar 2018
4 Comments

one Saturday in early April


sitting in the shadows
I work on poetry
because I’ve got nothing
left to do

our good friend Greg
is buried in Mt. Calvary
beside his father
(I know this because
I was a witness)

it was a reunion of sorts
for the remaining three of us
reunited from divergent points
by way of the big chill

there was no service
and beforehand we met
over coffee
recollecting history
followed by revisiting
old places under new ownership

at the end of the day
I found myself exactly
where I started
sitting in the shadows
and working on poetry





march two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
02 Mar 2018
11 Comments

new year’s resolution


to counter sadness with happiness
remove mascara stain from davenport
replace shower curtain

weed the garden but cultivate select few
for they too live to bloom

repair broken bird houses
seek to find words for things left unsaid
have the chimney stack swept

walk an extra mile or two
fill the flat tires with air
locate a few long lost friends

and last but not least
find a way to forgive yourself





march two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
01 Mar 2018

reunions and migrations


on the first of march we huddled together
and prayed to the sun god
promising to seek the straight and narrow path
that which leads to understanding
and forgiveness

though we speak the same language
we all arrived here from different points
each of us given a chance to free our mind
whether we wanted to or not

there is joy in telling and
comfort in listening
some of us sitting
some of us standing
others on the fringe of the all
encompassing circle
unsure whether to step inside
or forever fly alone

having committed to return to same place
and same time next year
we counted our blessings
and dispersed back into uncertainty
like migratory passerines
having predictable places to go





march two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
28 Feb 2018
12 Comments

an improbable assassin


they experiment with microwaves
sending subliminal text messages
and messing with my dreams via wifi

I wake up in a criminal sweat
wondering what in the world I had done
these past three nights

secret agent men keep knocking on my door
at all hours of the day
undercover cat pleading for me to open up
so she might escape the madness

of course I refuse to answer to anyone
feeding the kitty golden treats
and spending my days googling
searching for elusive guru
who can restore my identity
and cleanse me of my killer status





february two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , ,
27 Feb 2018
6 Comments

a celebration of life


there is sadness in the streets
and anguish in the hearts of strangers

they gather on your behalf
knowing full well
it may be too little and too late

some say it was a midnight march
disguised as a parade
while others felt compelled to participate
simply by way of gut feeling

you could see it in their eyes
those watching silently by the wayside
an unmistakable colorlessness
falling upon the night

in the meantime little ones
searched for little pieces of candy
only to find diamond-shaped tears
glistening from the moonshine





february two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

    Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,
26 Feb 2018
8 Comments

naturally incognito


meanwhile I’m staying underground
practicing one line after the next
just in case I get called into court

I found myself some used dress shoes
decided to stash the boots I copped
a few weeks before winter set in

for those who care to know
my lady left me weeks ago
she was crazy and demanded
too much of my money in exchange
for not enough attention

word has it new counterfeiter arrived
is setting up shop somewhere downtown
and something tells me he just
may need an apprentice

anticipating sunrise will be shedding
light on third and third
I flip through my wallet like a
moving picture show
taking my time randomly picking
who I should be today





february two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,
25 Feb 2018
10 Comments

and your neighbor as yourself


on sunday morning I steer clear
of any congregation
instead seeking singletary paths
like a good samaritan bound to jericho

despite possessing any riches
dangers persist along the way
yet I manage to make ends meet
with nary a badman
attempting to approach me

of course many others
along the same route
are far less fortunate than me
some beaten and robbed and
left half dead
those walking by asking themselves
what in the world would become of them
dare they stop to help a stranger





february two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , ,
23 Feb 2018
2 Comments

archaeological dig


somewhere along the beaten path
rare earth elements are spotted
here and there
haphazardly discarded by
downright dirty rotten scoundrels

little aliens scurry in the shadows
having adopted stretches
along the way
stuffing recyclables into sacks
refurbishing trash into shiny trinkets

all skyscraper trees eventually fall
their treasure imperially at risk
that is to say
having crashed and imploded
only to be mined many lifetimes later





february two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Nature, Poetry and tagged ,
20 Feb 2018

supersonic speeding tickets


from beginning to end
all we do is practice
no matter rhyme or reason
or particular purpose to carry on
whether on road leading to
bandstand on country hill
better yet at wembley stadium
or carnegie hall

there are no free rides
no assurances along the way
but there are tickets to collect
at nearly every turn
easily transferable to friends
and family and strangers
or whosoever believes
long before you ever do





february two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
19 Feb 2018
11 Comments

early afternoon memoirs


I made pekoe for two
in my red porcelain teapot
but it was just me and my thoughts
retiring to the sunroom
bird songs in the background
streams of consciousness meandering
inside sublime daydreams
mixing fantasy with memories
and all that was meant to be





february two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged ,
18 Feb 2018
6 Comments

oh baby please don’t go


best friend boarding plane
guardian angel by her side
clenching one-way ticket to
isolation island

reminiscing in her bedroom
I strum her classical guitar
singing one sad song
after another
her voice whispering in my ear
melancholic yet joyous

flipping through pages of
paintings and photographs
I feel her hand in every
familiar image
stamped and delivered
deep inside regressive minds





february two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
17 Feb 2018
2 Comments

bringing stars into focus


it’s no surprise we are losing time
which is especially disappointing
considering all the progress that’s
been made

                      you see there are
secret forces working all the time
hammering away and clearing
new paths with silver scythes

men without thought dig deeper
underground
tasked to find ore or oil or more
time before they die

others pretend they’re masterminds
rigging elections and breaking codes
opening pandora boxes with keys
yet to be made

                            once discovering
there are contrivances built into
everything that’s been invented
(and subsequently buried)
one becomes uninterested in time





february two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,

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