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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

18 Sep 2023
2 Comments

the silent street cleaner


discussions led to allegations
something about a lie
& how the street killer
is still out there

how many lives must perish
before the lie
is extinguished
before the silent killer
is exposed for all
the world to know

allegations led to revelations
of a lie within a lie
the killer carrying
a concealed weapon & silencer
taking pot shots at any
& all known stool pigeons





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

Posted in Animals, Birds, Poetry and tagged , ,
17 Sep 2023

the final curtain call


listen carefully my love
for I shall be whispering
the words that vibrate
through the air
shaped by the moon
& the crow
& the trees standing
tall on the boulevard

do not grieve my love
when the moon
loses its mystery
or the crow delivers
its last waltz
or the trees standing
tall on the boulevard
take their final bow





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

Posted in Birds, Poetry and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
16 Sep 2023

inviting like a garden


a snake in the grass
is much better than one
on asphalt
a road on the outskirts of town
black & fiery hot
from the midday sun

do not attempt
to cross the highway lowly one
and do not tempt me with
your foolish games

if you’re smart
you’ll retreat to the shoulder
and back to the green grass
moistened by the morning dew
inviting like a garden
where knowledge grows





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
15 Sep 2023

turning ideas into reality


they threw me in the van
& away we went
next thing I knew we were
partying in mad city

everytime the story’s told
it changes ever so slightly
[usually for the better]
how we all went
underground
like teenagers on a mission
creating a strange
new world
out of absolutely nothing





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

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
14 Sep 2023
3 Comments

pocket watch


she bought me
a present
a small box
about the size of a fist
off-white w/a small lid
a red bow on top

I smiled & craned my neck
toward her mouth
our lips touching briefly
—a quick kiss

the world as I knew it
resided in that box
a timeless treasure
inside its own space
like a pearl
or a memory
like a diamond in the rough

aren’t you going to open
it she asked
—and what would be the point
in that I replied





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
13 Sep 2023

when everything else is gone


besides reading
I’ve been listening of late
talking less & when I do
doing so more quietly

after my heart stopped racing
I started thinking
despite all the many things
I must have done wrong
there is an equal amount
just the opposite

when everything else is gone
and all that’s left is you
try to remember all the colors
you brought into this world
—and all the ones
you’ll be taking with you





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

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

nine ball in the corner


I probably won’t be around
to see how it all ends
but then again maybe I’m just a cat
enjoying an earlier life

it’s true I don’t recall
where or when I was born
instead I must rely on others
who claim to know such information

concerning the before & after
what I witness by day isn’t enough
instead I rely on technicolor dreams
forcing me to jump to my feet

I’d like to be a mouse or a mole
working from the inside
gathering intel by way of a frequency
only I can understand

somehow I’ve got this feeling
next time I’ll wake up
on the other side of the world
probably someplace like kathmandu





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

Posted in Animals, Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
11 Sep 2023
4 Comments

the power of love


holding hands on a park bench
each looking out toward the river
neither saying a word
as if their thoughts alone
commingled on another plane

birds unseen but plenty verbal
hardly imitating but
participating in the vibration
witnessing & believing in
the power of love





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

Posted in Birds, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , ,
10 Sep 2023

dry spell


dormant grass
shades of failing green
& dirty brown

river splitting the city
sluggish & low
rocky bottom exposed

clouds in the sky
like carnival animals
refuse to precipitate

manufactured rain
sprinkler casting prisms
children dash & leap





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

Posted in In the City, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
09 Sep 2023

the last waltz


I’m like a transistor radio w/many channels
what song would you like to hear

now god is coming through loud & clear
in the form of the twenty-third psalm

an invisible hand reaches out
advancing the dial from station to station

red hot chili peppers take to the waves
road trippin’ with their two favorite allies

joplin & meat loaf singing a duet
sinatra & winehouse as backing vocals

wrigley guests in the television booth
singing take me out to the ballgame

there’s no such thing as dead air
not as long as I’m spinning the vinyls

late night shift quickly coming to an end
I leave you with the last waltz





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

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

slow burn


I’ve been reading old letters by day
& burning bridges by night
—it never ceases to amaze me
what triggers motivation
whether it’s active
or passive aggression

I was taught early on
the act of doing
and the thought of doing
are one in the same
a concept difficult to grasp
unless of course
you’re some sort of child prodigy

eventually there’ll be no more
letters to read
no more bridges to cross
—eventually the fire
that is the sun
will burn low





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
07 Sep 2023

burying the past


everything is for sale
for pennies on the dollar
everything that is
except for my deathbed

not sleeping much anymore
thus busy listing things
on various outlets
letting go of the past
two or three items at a time

there is no endgame in sight
simply an exercise
to bury the past
hoping to rise again
in some old familiar form





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
06 Sep 2023
6 Comments

five in the morning


our politicians have failed us
that’s what’s in my head
as I go jogging one early morning
in a city I’ve never been
[until the night before]

I couldn’t sleep
maybe it was the jet lag
maybe it was all the worries
inside my mind

it shouldn’t be like this I say
as I race along the river lee
a heavy mist blanketing
the surroundings
a heavy heart inside my body
beating 128 times per minute

I tell myself today will be different
I will find a way not to count
all the chickens before they’re hatched

everything seems to be a circle
I’m telling myself
as I walk briskly on the path
the rear of the hotel coming into view
fishermen along the river
undoubtedly living in the moment





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

Posted in Fishing, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , ,
05 Sep 2023

the year of the rabbit


how far back can you reach
is there a rabbit there
under your hat
or are they afraid
to even show themselves

it was supposed to be
a peaceful year
but certain powers that be
made damn sure
it wasn’t in the cards

and now the world
is once again
being bombed to death
—once optimistic rabbits
dig deeper into their holes





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
04 Sep 2023

working the jumble


I kind of had this idea
—an inkling if you will
but the heatwave
took it away just like that

I snap my fingers
it’s the only sound I hear
maybe that’s the idea
the snapping of the fingers
something easily taught

once you get the snapping
going things seem to
magically germinate
soon you’re making up words
tossing them about

it’s like juggling I suppose
maybe that’s the idea
juggling words like a clown
spinning around
never allowing them
to fall to the ground





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
03 Sep 2023
6 Comments

what sorrow is this


what sorrow is this
that sings me to sleep
on a moonless night
a gentle breeze stirring
the white curtains
brushing my check

what sorrow is this
that dreams inside me
sending me to places
foreign & soulful
two moons in the sky
guiding me to the sea

what sorrow is this
that speaks to me
without saying a word
teaching me to grieve
in a silent manner
teaching me to laugh (again)
when the time is right





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

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , ,

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