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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

25 Apr 2017
2 Comments

dinner for four


the dogs were in the kitchen
sniffing the tile and looking away
whenever I glanced back
over my left shoulder

they knew better
but nonetheless tested the limits
of their sensory curiosity

opening the lid to the beef tips
I picked up the wooden spoon and
growled something incoherently

they immediately receded
to their respective corners
giving way to the grey tiger
crouching in the shadows



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , ,
24 Apr 2017
4 Comments

the beautiful and the silent


she arrived unannounced
redirected from an unknown god
breaching the exosphere without a sound

though coming to life by starlight
she disguised herself as human
finding solace within her own garden

as time passed the ground flourished
showcasing colors never before seen
reshaping the landscape of a parallel world



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
23 Apr 2017
4 Comments

sixty minutes


I turn on the television and catch
this eighty-something say how “they”
saved millions of lives by having
people cease smoking

(of course I assumed he was
talking about cigarettes)

he was quite proud of himself
going on to say how good he feels
when looking in the mirror

of course I took what he had
to say out of context
(and nearly contemptuously)
certain that jesus would have
handled himself entirely differently



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
22 Apr 2017
4 Comments

How they arrived with clarity and force


Lightning strikes on Miller’s farm
and days later
everything is gone

Are you sure it was natural
everyone seemed to ask
or could it have been an arrow
directed by an angry god

Local preachers try to explain
to congregations of none
exactly what didn’t happen

Meanwhile earth moving machines
continually roll in from far away places





april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
21 Apr 2017
6 Comments

by the time spring arrived reality set in


the king’s inner circle sent away men on horseback
to sow the seeds of forgiveness

it was the first of its kind and unbiased officials say
they are planting courageous ideas

before winter set in the horsemen sought comfort
slightly below the earth’s surface
solving religious conflict through peaceful uprisings





april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , ,
20 Apr 2017
4 Comments

in search of that which may not exist


there were cheers everywhere
and for a brief moment
I thought it had something to do with me

but then I quickly realized
I hadn’t done anything special
and I was no different than the next guy
down the aisle

as the stadium emptied I
stayed in my seat
imagining myself in the spotlight
and how that must feel

while the lights were powering down
they quietly escorted me
down the concourse
and out onto the street

never looking back I became attracted
to the nearest neon light
subconsciously convincing myself
I might find stardom
somewhere down the line





april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
19 Apr 2017
11 Comments

I am the truth and you are the light


the forwardness of the day
and the unpredictability of the night
carries on in perpetual motion
like a universe continually unfolding
sparking the purest electricity
out of the tiniest of matter



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
18 Apr 2017
4 Comments

the tempest and the temptress


they torched the bridge again
in broad daylight
and everyone had a general
idea who did it
though nobody was talking

at the press conference the sheriff
flashed unfocused photos of
trolls with beards and billy goats
sporting handlebar mustaches

later in the evening
the moon appeared
like a spotlight on the city square
exposing shadows
creeping alongside buildings

pretending this can’t happen near you
you ignore all the warnings
chasing the tail of the storm
luring you back to london town



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,
17 Apr 2017
6 Comments

Jesus in Memphis


I’ve been dreaming about Elvis again
I tell her (even though it’s not true)

Of course she says nothing
expecting me to go on

He may have been under the weather
I go on to say
but he certainly wasn’t on his deathbed

Two hours after the last curtain call
he was seen incognito
smoking cigarillos on Beale Street

You mean Elvis
she says

No I don’t mean Elvis
Jesus Christ
haven’t you been listening



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
16 Apr 2017

Welfare State


Hunger is painted on your face
and on all those
who look like you

There are others making do
with what they got
reaching deep in their
not so deep pockets for you

Time is not precious for those
living below the line
I used to tell my so-called
drinking buddies
but the best they could do
is drink to your health
on any given Sunday



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
15 Apr 2017
10 Comments

at least the perennial flowers never turn to ash


I don’t mean to keep dragging
you into my poetry
but you died on my watch
and now you have nowhere to go

phoenix is too hot to spend eternity
so your mother did the right thing
by bringing you back home (to iowa)

I got better things to do
than figure out why my laptop
speakers decided to stop working
so I hit the road without any particular
place to go

there are no reputations here
that need to be repaired
they are what they are
and if nobody loves you
just the way you are
then damn their eyes

I used to ride my bicycle
through that cemetery
my baseball glove strapped
on the back rack



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
14 Apr 2017
13 Comments

the things nobody mentions


addiction is a powerful word
penetrating like a tattooed heart

sent off to war as an innocent
only to return as a coked-up diplomat
a poster child in denial

nobody said I always had
to be part of the family
and even though I knew the
association was optional
I went along with the charade

I love saying I’ve been sober
going on two weeks now
and whether or not nobody knows
for sure
nobody really cares
just like me

I went to visit a friend in the cemetery
last sunday
he died the same night I was killed
again and again and again

we get together every now and
just to have a good laugh



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
13 Apr 2017
4 Comments

let’s get out of this place


she looked to be western but I couldn’t
be sure
not the way she kept
looking away

I had never been this far from
home before
but I was certain
I could fit in
if only I cut myself some slack

when I first arrived
I locked myself in a room
familiarizing myself with local programming
misunderstanding most
everything I heard

eventually I rationally concluded
that if I’m going to make it here
it’s imperative I learn to walk

my convictions soon placed me
at a nearby café
ordering something
refreshing (without cheating)
seriously considering my next move



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,
12 Apr 2017
8 Comments

there I told you so


I always thought there wasn’t
much diversity in wildflowers
whether growing out of the ground
or painted on walls

the longer I hang out here the more
I’m convinced it has nothing
to do with the questions

you cannot see the spectrum of colors
inside your own eyes
yet you can experience
everything behind the clouds

and when there are no clouds
(in the sky)
you can simply lean back
and quietly say there
I told you so



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
11 Apr 2017
4 Comments

right to remain silent


it was nothing you said
she assures me
walking away toward the kitchen
her left thumb wrapped in a wash cloth

she had managed to stop the bleeding
but not the awkward
mood of the room
that quickly dissolves into some
sort of silent aura

you know I go on to say
there was a time when respect
actually meant something

yes there was a time
I go on to say
under my breath
slowing my pace
nearly whispering
listening to every single word
I had been meaning to say



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
10 Apr 2017
8 Comments

brick by brick


I’ve seen the future unfold
like a flower without a name
like a child without a home

the recent past soon enough
becomes all but translatable
like a familiar foreign language
like a lost memory
resurfacing
inside someone else’s dream

this road has been lowered
only to be risen time and again
each time you are there in some
shape or form
sometimes dragging the dirt
other times on your hands and knees
paving the way



april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged ,

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