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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

22 Apr 2016
18 Comments

introspection


fields of wildflowers stretched
as far as the eye could see
and I stood there
unmoved
void of emotion
believing its beauty
could never belong to me

cloudless skies of blue stretched
as far as the eye could see
and I stood there
motionless
hopelessly lost
looking for a sign
I was not alone in this world

daylight turned to dark
and I surrendered to the earth
fell asleep in the open
curled into a ball
like a seed
praying for the rain
to bring me back to life


april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
21 Apr 2016

twin city blues


rain pounded relentlessly
throughout the cities
canceling out the most
extraordinary rhythm and blues
racing past sullen streets
and endless alleyways


april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
19 Apr 2016
7 Comments

it wasn’t meant to be


my cell phone rings and I lift it off
the table just enough to see the number
and let it back down with a snarl

you’re not going to answer it she says

that’s right I’m not going to answer it
the number’s not in my contacts
and I don’t recognize it

maybe it’s somebody from your
attorney’s office with some
good news she says

believe me that call was not from my
attorney’s office

what are you laughing at she says
I’m just saying maybe you’re rich
and you don’t even know it


april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
17 Apr 2016
6 Comments

birdsong in my mind


sorrowful soul mate
casting nets
from a sparse pine
comes up empty time & again

determined to move on
one tree at a time
the song forever weaves
through solitary twilight


april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Micropoetry, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
16 Apr 2016
2 Comments

feeding on carrion


sometimes I sit in the dark
and sleep in the light
tricking myself into believing
traveling through time is as
easy as spotting a magpie
on a fencepost or road sign

eyes of the crow and of the jay
enter my waking dreams
projecting past lessons
and future flashbacks
tricking me into believing
the fork in the road is near

reading in the twilight
from a book I know by heart
I pause and listen
to those clamoring birds
convincing me my story
has already been told


april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Poetry and tagged , , ,
15 Apr 2016
2 Comments

one day there will be rock concerts on Mars


they bought all the tickets they
could get their hands on
because living out their lives
in unfamiliar venues
felt like being out-of-body

they preferred one-way tickets
because it added
to the excitement of possibly
never coming back
whether cruising across the country
or sailing beyond the far side



april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
13 Apr 2016
4 Comments

first signs of spring


everything came out of hiding
except of course
that which devoured
the other thing
like the worm to the robin
or the flower to the deer

trees blossom above the concrete
dwarfed by sun-hungry high rises
giving temporary shelter
to angels warming their wings

rising above the surface
transitory spirits take to the streets
assessing what the winter had done
by taking a simple counting of heads


april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , ,
12 Apr 2016
6 Comments

superhighway


aliens loved to return here
to feast on information
but mainly to experience
poetic life in the fast lane


april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , ,
11 Apr 2016
2 Comments

Let the party decide


It was a murder mystery dinner
and I was asked to dress
like Colonel Sanders
and bring a bucket of chicken

Sipping on whiskey
and smoking in the parlor
I listen how Thurston and Lovey
purchased vintage luggage
on amazon-dot-com for
pennies on the dollar
had them shipped free to their
second home in The Bahamas

In the next room Charlie’s angels
watch Norman Mailer
play chess with Jesus Christ
briefly interrupted by the
unidentified host whispering
something or other in their ear

I kept expecting Colonel Mustard
to make an appearance
but I guess that would
just be too weird
but then I heard there was a drug scene
going down in the lower level
and I raised my eyebrows
and thought twice


april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
10 Apr 2016
4 Comments

as if I had been there


a thin vapor trail
slipped in through the front door
but nobody was home

if I had been there
I would have noticed something
was quite different
but I was gone on a
journey of a lifetime

the place had not changed
all these years
everything perfectly in place
as if nobody had really
lived there

while my mind wandered
away from worldly ideals
seeking out transcendental gurus
residing on new moons
my spirit remained behind
waiting patiently
to be seen


april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
08 Apr 2016
10 Comments

a conversation that wasn’t


sitting in the natural light in
an outside cafe
one warm spring day
I cross my legs
exposing their whiteness

an elderly woman asks
if this seat is taken
and I shake my head and stretch
out my darkened arm
palm open toward the metal chair
across from me

I remove my satchel from my shoulder
and place it under the table
sliding it further with my foot

we hold a pleasant and somewhat
intelligent conversation
she drinking sweet hibiscus tea
and me a double espresso

I told her I was from the third world
and she nodded and laughed
saying she was from the old one

I went on to confess I shave my legs
but seldom my face
and she smiled and said
she did just the opposite

she listened to every single word I said
even the ones spoken in another language
attempting to give clarity to my predicament

I went on to say I don’t believe
I belong here
that I was thinking of checking out for good

If you don’t mind she responded
please give me a head start
and I’ll be on my way
before you take me with you


april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,
07 Apr 2016
8 Comments

garden of confusion


wind chimes chatter in the mist
varied in pitch and velocity
powered by dark winds
swirling past steel spiders

rusty fish swim by twilight
nipping at one-legged flamingo
all tucked in for the night

silent rocks in aerated streams
attract ceramic turtles and
green neon frogs
settling on that perfect spot

avian whispers segue into
full-fledged sirens
scaring the wildflowers away


april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
05 Apr 2016
13 Comments

disappearing act


they sat in a circle
boy girl
boy girl
boy girl
making up a story
one sentence at a time
a story about a stickman
made out of salty pretzels
wearing a white paper hat
and strutting around
outside the ring
twirling a magician’s cane
and making each one disappear
with a simple tap of their crowns


april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
04 Apr 2016
10 Comments

fighting solitary confinement


there’s no reason to cry
but go ahead if you want to

there’s nobody around
not in the parlor
or the kitchen
not even in the sunroom

if you look outside you’ll
notice it’s bright
and quiet
and windless

it’s early spring
but it feels like late autumn
and this feeling
hits you in the gut

something tells you
something’s not quite right
a subtle reminder
there’s work yet to be done


april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
03 Apr 2016

Highway Rhythm and Blues


Shining brightly on stage
in her girl-singer suit
her diverse voice invoking
emotions to even the
least concerned listener

There is loneliness
on the road to stardom
unknown and unexplained
as all eyes watch her
barreling to that next place

Mistrust at various angles
jump from behind telephone lines
hoping to catch her off guard
and taking advantage of
her future earnings

Cutting through the noise
and preparing to live her dreams
she sings herself to sleep
to a lullaby intended
to comfort lonely children


april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
02 Apr 2016
11 Comments

lilies of the field


little flower
do not grow old today
keep yourself firmly grounded
in the earth
and resist the temptation
to be cut
to be owned
only to be resold

little flower
do not weep today
but welcome the wonders
of the world
with open eyes
and open arms
reaching for the sun

little flower
do not die today
like those gone before you
in seasons past
beckoning you
flying past you
courtesy of the wind


april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,

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