I wanted to write something
magnificent
something simple yet prophetic
or down to earth
with incredible feeling
I wanted to dazzle you with grace
and humility
bringing forth clarity as to
why the sky is not the limit
and perfection is always near
I wanted to leave you pondering
asking for more
offering counterintuitive
ideas to ordinary notions
by the simple act of breathing
may two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
you come in and out of my life
like a thief in the night
robbing me of dreams
I once held promisingly
sometimes you are the moon
cloaked by daylight
following my every move
without ever knowing
sometimes you are the rain
the kind that falls softly
comforting the troubles
that seem to haunt me
and although I can’t touch you
I can feel you are near
like a promise once made
kept dear in my heart
may two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
fingertips tapping keypads
keep time with strings
playing in the background
recreating this little biosphere
unfolding in my mind
wind chimes and bird songs
chatter noisily over a nearby
stream and faraway train
while oscillating fan mimics
breezes blowing in my face
lonely souls and frisky ghosts
sit near the fireless pit
swapping old stories and
asking invisible gods why
their prayers linger and fade
may two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it was thursday afternoon and
already I was devising a story
to get a jump on the weekend
mrs. jones dismissed english
literature a little early
saying something about the sun
and the moon and the spring
I couldn’t imagine her being
happy with just any man
at least not as long as she
made appearances in my life
although I must say oftentimes
I wonder if she knows I exist
especially outside my own
typewritten boundaries
may two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
these precious days pass by
like a picture book dream
featuring rolling hills and
psychedelic fields
filled with buttercups
and honeybees
diving off a mountain bluff
you slowly descend
circling an umbrella of trees
guided by a willful power
taking you to the stream
alone you stand calling out
without saying a word
and all that was
and all that was meant to be
filters through your sparkling eyes
may two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she was six and he five
they walked a mile or so
hand in hand
nearly every single day
to missus munster’s
kindergarten class
reciting nursery rhymes
and interpreting clouds
and calling out flowers
by their given names
may two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
from the book of revelation
the dragon gave its power and authority
to the beast with ten horns and seven heads
I saw the beast emerge from the sea
looking much like a leopard
a crown on every horn
an evil name on each head
its feet like bear claws
and its mouth like a lion
though one of its heads had been slain
the beast returned it to life
amazing all who had seen
moving them to worship
not only the dragon but the beast
going as far to say no army on earth
could wage war against them
the beast boasted and bragged
insulting the lord during its 42 month reign
waging war against his people
until it ruled over every tribe
every race of people
every nation and language
and all those living since the beginning
worshiped the beast
those whose names are not
written in the lamb’s book of life
the very lamb who had been killed
I say to all who have witnessed
these things take heed
for whoever is bound to be a prisoner
will be a prisoner
and whoever kills with the sword
shall die by the sword
may two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
those bulbs I planted in november
keep quiet underground
buried like bad memories
dying to stretch to the surface
by the time january arrives
all is but forgotten
wiped away by a clean
sheet of freshly fallen snow
march came roaring in like a lion
and departed like a lamb
the jet stream passing favors
to the earliest of risers
on may day the flowers opened
bright and smartly sassy
I smiled but then remembered
about the bulbs
and sadly I was taken back
all the way to november
april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I was born to live forever
cursed by the very gods
seeking to destroy eternity
why did I fall for such lies
constructed by warped minds
promising to ease my pain
it took a lifetime to find you
and now you are gone
like a ship passing through time
april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
please forgive me for asking
but how much in the world
did you pay for your time machine
do you sleep in it every night
turning back time
or do you always look so lovely by
possessing the kind of fountain
long sought after
but never found by modern man
years pass by and my body
gradually gives way
my heart growing weary
(not from worry
but) by forgetting to keep
your beauty all to myself
in the cool autumn air
I wave goodbye as you leave me
never looking back
you say the time machine
will one day bring you home
you say the southern waters
welcome us both
but I concede I must stay behind
keeping the winter warm
while praying for your safe return
april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it didn’t matter if he was cold sober
or stoned out of his mind
he was just himself
no matter where he went
everybody knew his name
but he was no celebrity
he was just like everyone else
hustling the streets
peddling identities
he made guest appearances
on daytime talk shows
that nobody seemed to watch
he fell out of the sky and landed
upside down inside
empty multi-purpose stadiums
when the media caught up to him
one chilly april morning
he was soaked to the bone
like some frightened labrador
saying he had nothing left to say
except to be on the lookout
for the next big thing
april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is the constant running of streams
sometimes serene
often chaotic
always never-ending
when rain falls so hard you can’t hear it
but it’s there in your heart
water rolling down
keeping you alive
eventually it flows into your daydreams
nourishing your soul
refreshing your spirit
opening up the way
april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
these feathers cannot tickle me
they only make me sad
knowing once they soared above
in search of one true love
these feathers I did come across
beyond the beaten path
black and white and gray like a ghost
commingling with rotting leaves
to pick them up and take them home
or let them fade where they will
I lost my smile and moved along
knowing later I’d retrace my steps
april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
you are no longer here on earth
at least a year ago now
but I can’t seem to let you go
your face haunts me to this day
some mornings I awake to tears
waiting for a call or text
remembering you were the only
one I allowed to call me ‘baby’
I miss the early days
when innocence was there
I miss your smile
your raspy voice
the bristles of your legs
I wish like crazy to go back
and fix all the bad times
to at least talk one last time
and forget for a moment
why my heart feels so heavy
april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
once a messenger of love
he finds himself grounded
trying to flex his broken wings
he walks barefoot on forest trail
bow in hand and empty quiver
strapped across his shoulder
hunger had set in days ago
his canteen containing but a few
drops of morning dew
determined to save himself
he calls upon the heavens
to pierce his ailing heart
april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Spring is here and spring shall stay
like precious childhood memories
lingering in the background
forever reminding you
nothing ever really grows old
Green is not quite the same
as the green of spring
emerging anew from the thaw
like an arm reaching out
requesting to be waltzed away
april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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