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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

22 Nov 2023

hypocrisy


tell me who is happy
at least those in the know
or even the ones wearing
rose-colored glasses

I understand many angels
have descended
where the bombings
are the heaviest
mending their own wings
while tending to casualties

—how dare the rest of us grow old
witnessing the powers within

[in the meantime]

peace loving people
are handcuffed & blindfolded
{many left for dead
& therefore the angels}
held hostage & violated
by way of a broken world
and empty promises





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
21 Nov 2023

translations from the stars


sometimes if I stare long enough
at the blank screen
words will start to appear
all on their own
as if an alien scribe successfully
cracked the code
suddenly capable of sending
messages of peace & prosperity
right before my very eyes





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
20 Nov 2023

cease fire


there was a guarded optimism
afloat but unseen in the air
like a vague sense of security
that’s inherited by nature
but unheard from for ages
perhaps dormant
aching to be stirred





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
19 Nov 2023
2 Comments

third shift


making toys out of wood
glue & brads & paint
shaping tools to cut & sand
drill & screw & shave

rows & rows of tiny workshops
inside giant warehouse
one creative per station
specialized in their craft

meanwhile the boss
peruses list after list after list
teleconnects updated orders
directly to his worker bees





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
18 Nov 2023
7 Comments

starting something


so I started this poem
before I fell asleep last night
rearranging the words
in such a way
[trying to convince myself]
I wouldn’t forget them
come morning

but guess what
birdsong woke me up
long after the alarm
& there I lay
the world passing me by
eyes blinking
quickly catching up





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
17 Nov 2023
5 Comments

cult of personality


you bring me closer to a reality
I didn’t know existed
not until you came into my life

I am like a child again
unable to process my own convictions
instead relying on your godlike
intelligence to show the way

there is a door
and you open it (for me)
there I appear like clockwork
walking through it
giving thanks as I do
to your magical powers

lead me lead me lead me
show me the path of righteousness
and deliver unto me your ways

if you tell me to love
then I will love
if you tell me to hate
I will hate
if you tell me to go to war
to war I will go
and never look back





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
16 Nov 2023
6 Comments

letting go


you breathe easy
you breathe hard
it’s more than just a fine line

what just ran through my mind
a mouse or a sparrow
or a fine white line

you better check on the old ones
and the young ones
they can’t keep after themselves
they keep chasing things
things only they can see

in the backyard
there is a house in the ash tree
neighbor kids climb and get in
—are never seen again

police at front door
issues citation using invisible ink
we offer them sweet tea
and a scotcheroo
but they say no thanks
they gotta go
ask us to keep an eye open

meanwhile we breathe easy
and we breathe hard
one day there is six of us
the next day only five





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , ,
15 Nov 2023
1 Comment

glass doll


he couldn’t stop looking at
her microchipped eyes
near perfect
like a purple diamond

of course she was smartly
dressed [again]
sporting an accessory
around the neck
another on the right ankle
(otherwise untouched)
her eyes looking upward
and to the right

back in the day
she used to look his way
long before anyone knew her
before fame & fortune
was her new reality
—leaving him alone in the city
walking the streets
& gazing
past storefront windows





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , ,
14 Nov 2023
2 Comments

the beachgoers & the firefly chasers


there was a sign of hope
amidst the ongoing trauma of war

was it the sunshine after weeks of rain

or a small flock of white doves
appearing out of nowhere
flying across the battlefield

or was it as simple as a small child
snapping off a branch from the olive tree

there were invisible badges of honor
pinned to the soldiers that perished
ambushed & incapable of defending themselves

some say they were cowards
others say martyrs
the supermajority calling them victims
or their own leaders

regardless
the invisible war intensified & the price paid
was incalculable
unseen or unheard
by the beachgoers & the firefly chasers
impatiently searching for some kind of hope





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , ,
13 Nov 2023

circulation


I wasn’t planning on going to the beach
but I was getting ever closer
in the two-door civic
downshifting into second
and coasting into the parking lot

it was a cool day
especially here this time of year
the sun attempting to unlock the clouds
with its skeleton key

I removed my sneakers
and rolled up my blue jeans just below
my knees
hobbled to the sandy trail
that rose and fell into the white sands
lovers of the sea
of all shapes & sizes & ages
scattered up & down
and near & far

there were no swimmers or surfers
just a few waders
walking along the last of the waves
and I proceeded to do the same
the tops of my feet slowly turning blue
reminding me of my age
and the infrequency
of such impulsive adventures





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
12 Nov 2023

spiderling


lost inside your own skin
you decide it’s best
not to go out tonight
opting to keep company
with recluse spiders
and a bottle of red

everything is muted
including a full moon
wrapped inside a fog
calling all arachnids
to come out of the closet
and feast until content





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
10 Nov 2023

before the sun comes up


the night is young
ageless like a new moon
at the break of dawn
a trio of violinists
tuning their instruments
in a field of wheat
seven angels harmonizing
holding golden tapers
shimmering like the stars





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
09 Nov 2023

little haunted house


little mouse in little house
feeling quite at home
finding its way
through thick & thin
mainly by way of nose

blind woman living alone
senses little ghost
creeping from room to room
her sense of security
never in doubt
her sense of smell
stronger than ever

come morning
in the kitchen
as she sharpens all her knives
the little ghost mouse
comes to its senses
& lives to haunt another house





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
08 Nov 2023

appalachian road trip


we had a wild & wonderful drive
crisscrossing west virginia
but in the end
it must have been just a dream
having found ourselves
back in boring kansas





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
07 Nov 2023

on a wing & a prayer


I lie in bed with eyelids closed
my mind racing
refusing to dream
—and I tell myself
I need rest
and a clear mind
come six hours from now

the time of day
seems to have escaped me
but I’m sure at least
an hour has passed
my mind still racing
—and I tell myself
if I fall asleep & dream
I may never awaken
abandoning the morning
like a mother dove
abandons her young

though wings I have not
soon I’ll find myself
a passenger
with someone
or something
that does





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
06 Nov 2023

earth movers


they swept the homeless
off the streets
a project city officials called
operation relocation

days later
a dozen bulldozers
rolled into the landfill
& within hours
questions started flying





november two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment

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