time is a sworn enemy
& my best kept secret
stashed inside a brown glass vial
—I dare not show a soul my
prized possession
for fear their originality
may never haunt again
june two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
upon awakening
I was certain I had painted
my face red
I had done it to protect myself
from a devious sun
previously I had danced
inside a triangle
inside a circle
inside a square
I could not see the players
but the guitar & the flute
the snare & the cello
carried on in perfect harmony
one time my father kicked a ball
from the family room through the kitchen
& into the parlor
I was certain I was the ball
sometimes the crescent moon
awakens me at midnight
I am more than happy to comply
concerned how lonely
she must be
june two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
bird in my ear
newly purchased
at the five & dime
whispers things
I like to hear
before the storm
there is much chatter
[from the bird in my ear]
until that is
this thing called the lull
casually rolls in
it seems in no time
the bird in my ear
vanished before my eyes
taking with it memories
once instilled
june two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the wetlands are right around the corner
but we’re not going there
instead we’re heading north by northwest
to the grand opening of a discotheque slash karaoke bar
it’s true there are pink flamingos
at the wetlands
this time of year
doing their very own version of the break dance
the winds & crickets
cicadas & amphibians
all contributing to the rhythm of the vibe
the neon lights courtesy of their own imagination
june two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
he asks me the same question
only ten minutes later
then five & one
I don’t remember you ever
holding my hand
I say to my father
but he cannot hear me
not even with his one hearing aid
here let me turn you up
he says to me
what did you say
your garden looks great
I go on to the say
it should be another bumper
tomato crop
it was all I could do to get them in
he goes on to say
having not remembered
I’d been the one who planted them
just a few months ago
june two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
when the talks stalled
the prisoner was handcuffed
blindfolded & relocated
to a safe house two towns down
it was not the first time
they had come this close to getting
their name back
not the last time the sun would rise
without their knowledge
june two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’ve been waiting for the cicadas
to arrive
waiting for their sound
to replace the day’s
ordinary drone
I’ve grown accustomed to
when they arrive
I’ll be willing & able to join them
if not in song
then by in death itself
leaving behind a translucent shell
as someone else’s prize
june two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
small hands & barely a heartbeat
in fact if you went searching with a knife
you’d be hard pressed at finding the source
your maker is the same as mine
though by your arrogance you’ve evolved
into something much less than jesus or elvis
to embrace your false bravados
keeps mankind striding one step forward
only to tumble backwards into your confusion
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the beauty queen is gone
courtesy of a ticking time bomb
counting down from the war zone
since the day she was born
she knew not the beauty
nor the innocence born within
wrapped inside her mother’s arms
for what seemed an eternity
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
if you stare into space
long enough
something is bound
to catch your eye
but if you’re willing
to remain unfocused
the big picture
is sure to follow
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
on a cool moonless night
ubiquitous catcalls occasionally
pierce through tightly locked windows
it is a preternatural occurrence
the hairs on your arms
spontaneously rising toward the ceiling
the ceiling itself is a misnomer
and once grasping its possibilities
the sooner you’ll want to leave this world
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
embedded inside a cloud
I scanned the ground below
absorbing the color pigments
into my own virtually brown skin
darkened by an unrelenting sun
I squeeze oils out of the cloud
rubbing them on my body
instantly feeling a warm relief
a sort of self-medicating ritual
leaving me feeling better
about myself & the world below
the panacea spreading like wildfire
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
science & data can’t explain
emotions of the heart
longing & loss
compassion
depression
love & loneliness
numbers alone
cannot asses
the true condition
of a broken heart
like a fractured melody
a rhythm lost in the dark
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the cops wanted
the surveillance footage
but all that was there
was white noise
watching for an hour or two
not a single one
could possibly tell you
what was what
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s become public knowledge
bounty hunters
have been going after hand-picked fat cats
of all stripes
mostly from first-world countries
on land or at sea
according to non-governmental officials
aliens life forms have assimilated
with humans for decades now
cooperating in covert operations
in nonviolent ways
some say they are the
bounty hunters
their influence game-changing
meticulously reengineering the warlords
within the human genome
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the eyes were magically manufactured
in a basement lab in downtown atlanta
the limbs arrived by boat from taiwan
african dwarf goats from ghana
provided the hair
& presumably the stuffing
the face itself
came from clay of the coastal plains
of the gulf of mexico
each molded into shape
& painted by hand
by one hundred chosen artists
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 