there is strength in numbers
and now I find myself alone
the mighty empire having fallen
giving rise to newborn stars
cast away by a foreign power
I’ve become a messenger
returning to the very beginning
bringing with me the good news
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it was only a kiss
[oh what a kiss will lead to]
something I wish
I’d never saw
something stuck in a dream
I only dream
I only dream
the same dream now
and I’m sure it must be killing me
the kiss & the dress
the drag of the cigarette
as the song goes on
so does the kiss
—slipping off her dress
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Note: Based on the song “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers
a fire burns within
pseudoscience consuming me
from the inside out
my body threatening to detonate
into a walking inferno
raging like a wildfire without any
extinguishment in sight
am I a victim
or a beautiful phoenix
a mystery
an enigma
a force to be reckoned with on any
given dimension
spontaneously existing
as a living breathing human
showcasing an eternal flame
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I left the house for the ocean
a hammer holstered to my belt
my pockets full of nails
up and down the shoreline
I collected & stacked
driftwood into various columns
the sun would bake them dry
while the moon marveled
how my dream became reality
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
do the birds in cuba
know they’re cuban
do they chirp in spanish
& dance the cha cha cha
what of the doppelgängers
hanging out
in the streets of old havana
do they understand
the language
can they chirp & dance
like their feathered friends
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
within your water
within your very air
the god gene embedded
deep in your DNA
there is good reason
why you feel so comfortable
inside your own skin
—on occasion
an even greater feeling
experiencing
separation
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
evolution speeding
well beyond the information age
ghosting guns & intelligence
physically & artificially
unleashing imaginations
from century-old masters
ideas created from the cradle
coming back full circle
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there is spilt milk
somewhere it shouldn’t be
eventually the cat
will lick it up
this place is such a mess
especially since
the two lovers
moved out
taking with them the
lavender divan & purple lamp
it’s sunday
and not even the birds
have checked in yet
an irish coffee in the works
(or so is the word)
daydreaming on the glider
on the back deck
waiting to be buzzed
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
research says we’ve always
been part of the action
where or when
less important than the how
different channels
bring about varied accounts
most interwoven
like a patchwork quilt
galaxies & lost worlds
trapped inside blackholes
variable light
trickling through
wherever stretched or worn
in a corner
draped across an old wooden easel
its appearance everchanging
—duration & shadow
playing tricks of the mind
recalling a certain satellite
still larger than life
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
thousands of flights
and millions of passengers
crisscrossing through the skies
I’m at rest atop a tropical tree
encased in low lying clouds
counting blue planes passing by
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I don’t know how old I am
but my newest bicycle turned seven
last week
the other day it did a number on my lower back
—come next morning I was hunchbacked
& girl scouts had to help me
with my socks & shoes
in the freezer in the basement
is where I keep a few boxes of thin mints
there’s a lock on the door
the key misplaced for weeks or months
this house is much too big for me anymore
one doorbell and too many key holes
sometimes I think it’s the dead of winter
but the air conditioner runs nonstop
forcing me to wear long johns & sweaters
in the garage is where I work on my bicycle
until I am unable to stand up straight
it is summer again & I am tired
like an overstuffed bear
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
independence day
guns ablaze in the streets
alternative forces
busily at work
like wasps in a bonnet
devising a plan
to take over the hive
a coup d’etat
in fort worth’s backyard
and philly & chitown
houston & phoenix & memphis
chattanooga tennessee
plans coexisting
throughout all of the fifty
taking out any soul
regardless of their background
their individual
identities
allegedly not focused on reality
but their own immortality
right here on earth
or wherever they’re destined next
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the intention was clear
but the action nonextant
motivated by fear
& perpetuated by greed
their forward movement
was steadily determinable
the opposition [however]
resolves to be unbeatable
their forward movement
equally purposeful
more than likely fateful
what results is unmistakable
force upon force
those inevitable forward movements
much like cosmic explosions
their lasting effects
felt right here at home
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
The Energy of the pyramids
beckons the next pilgrimage
whether a week from tomorrow
or four thousand years ago
Some say the Architects
were otherworldly over-achievers
trading road maps for free rides
and fishing the River Nile
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
pardon me
but I cannot see you
not even a faint light
in my mind’s eye
I know you’re out there
if you would only
tell me your name
perhaps we can get
somewhere
from what I can tell
we must be on
different planes
vibrations
and/or frequencies
your name escapes me
to a much higher level
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
lost in the chase
that damn rat race
or whatever it is you want
to call it
going about things
wearing a dumb smirk
or a wry smile
not giving a damn about
how big is the ocean
you always believed
it’s best to live & die
near water
a little smarter
millimeters along the way
separating the noise
from the substance
often disguised as killer waves
or slow-motion currents
june two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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