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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

24 Apr 2023

like tumbleweed


you follow me
blindly through the maze
electronic headlamp
casting brilliant lumens
— a projected triangular light
exposing uncertainty

high above the canopy
alien voices sing
in their native tongues
creating a singular hum
like the cicada
or the mantra
of the seven tribes

there is no end or escape
from the maze
— I reach back & you
firmly grip my hand
and with all my might
I pull & propel you forward
all in one motion
all for the sake of survival





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

Posted in Aliens, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
23 Apr 2023
2 Comments

out of the clear blue sky


the spacewoman arrived
unannounced
right in broad daylight
lowering her hovercraft
onto the open field
where she proceeded
to kill the fatted calf
[soon thereafter]
feeding all of the inhabitants
until they had their fill
from as far away
as the eye could see





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

Posted in Aliens, Dogma, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , ,
22 Apr 2023
2 Comments

Taming of the Lion


April is nearly over
& I’m mowing the lawn
in lightly falling sleet
that stops & starts
like a cat not knowing
if she wants in or out

The underbelly
of the cutting machine
cannot efficiently or
effectively mulch the wet
& overgrown grass
causing it to cease
every few swaths

My neighbors must think
I’m some sort of idiot
giving the mower
a good talking to
while on my knees
clearing the clumps
with my gloved hands
hopefully pulling the cord
for the very last time





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,
21 Apr 2023

limited editions


twenty-four hour browsers
pounding the streets again
like gangs of centipedes
adding to their vinyl agendas

lines wind around city blocks
storefront windows like mirrors
attracting birds & buyers
alter egos with hairbrush hands
going after a song & a dance
wrapped inside an envelope

exhaustion doesn’t exist
only sublime consumption
soothing both body & soul
speakers from the poles
reinforcing their addiction





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

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
20 Apr 2023
4 Comments

the rabbit & the fox


one thousand miles behind the sun
darkness closes in
ultraviolet rays
fading in the rearview
a temporary illusion
like the fox giving chase
aided by once elusive tailwinds

though the light is faint
love is in constant motion
one thousand miles behind the sun

the rabbit is not afraid of the fox
its purpose ever changing
the pursuer off in a new direction
one thousand miles behind the sun





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

Posted in Animals, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
19 Apr 2023

stranger without or within


I had lost all stream of consciousness
after witnessing an unusual light
as if it had pulled me out of my body
exposing me to all things possible

I imagine what had happened
will gradually fade over time
leaving me with strange conclusions
and ever expanding interpretations

what’s left is either a vague emptiness
or a voracious appetite for more
the resurrection of a stranger
blindsiding me with love





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
18 Apr 2023

in the land of make-believe


let’s see
how easily it is
to honestly deceive
in this world of make-believe
convincing yourself
the only truth
worth its weight
resides inside
a frame of mind
that may or may not
be eternal
whilst any & all things
orbiting around it
is simply an extension
of grander possibilities





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

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
17 Apr 2023

or a person of color


it’s come down to
simple math
living here in these
united states
where no county or
city or town is safe
the simple equation
boiling down
to a matter of mere time
where one fine day
I’ll be walking freely
through a quiet neighborhood
only to be gunned down
as if I was some sort
of wanted man
or a person of color





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

Posted in In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
16 Apr 2023

a fading introspection


I was a little kid not that long ago
learning how to read & write
in a parochial school my mother
yanked me out of after a year

[it marked the beginning
of my renegade ways]

fake news didn’t exist back then
but corporal punishment sure did
my father into pabst blue ribbon beer
walter cronkite & tricky dick
totally against creative free spirits
changing reality one media at a time

in retrospect the course of events
became pretty much obvious
the defining turning points
all possessing
a familiar denomination
one in which
I’ve weaved & bobbed though
currently in the process
of stitching back together





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

Posted in History, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
15 Apr 2023

caught in the rain


in the back of my mind
it is pouring down rain
awakening me from my slumber
early sunday morning

I imagine the cat is clawing
at the front door
her spatial memory convinced
this is how it magically opens

in the back of my mind
there is thunder & lightning
electrifying my hippocampus
and bringing me to my feet

the cat is at the front door
incapable of comprehending
the shiny button next to the handle
is the key to the next life





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
14 Apr 2023
2 Comments

repeating the round trip


when I was born I had no idea
the world population
totaled north of three billion

every single one of them
came NOT from the stork
but from the stars

that’s what they mean
when they say a star is born

today the world population
is approaching eight billion
affirming the fact that indeed
the universe is expanding

I’ve since learned star factories
exist throughout the multiverse
[or maybe I’ve known all along]
& I imagine
I’ll be returning back to one of them
on any given monday





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

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , ,
13 Apr 2023
2 Comments

a sheltered life


my grandfather aka pop
snuck into my dream
alive on his deathbed
in kewanee illinois

I’d not seen him
for fifty-four years

he looked remarkably well
except for his teeth
which were wooden
& painted white

two siblings followed me
sneaking through a back door
at the hospital
climbing staircases the public
didn’t know existed
racing through hallways
like cartoon characters

finally finding him
he was wide awake
looking as healthy as an ox

seeing him reminded me
of the pile of leaves
I’d fall into from the sturdy bough
the straw hat he gifted me
pepper the parakeet
heat-seeking his shoulder

though he was dead
after all these years
he was evidently happy
I’d brought him back to life
at least temporarily





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

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , ,
12 Apr 2023

Bloody Sunday


Now that lent was over
I could get back on with my life
& my sinful ways

Habits & wishlists
have changed dramatically
over the years
but I tell people I’m pretty much
the same as I’ve always been

I don’t go to Easter Mass anymore
mainly to avoid the crowds
& their seemingly good intentions

After brunch
I retrieved my stash
that was miraculously untouched
for forty days & forty nights

As for dessert I mixed myself
a Bloody Mary garnished w/the works
found a quiet place away
from all the noise
& enjoyed a bit of an old staple
called hashish under glass





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

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
11 Apr 2023
2 Comments

at the mercy of the wind


nothing is in unison
the changing of the guard
but a mess
w/o the guards themselves
an old man in the corner
playing solitaire like all the others
the clouds above moving fast
& changing like a chameleon

somebody shouts
nothing is what it seems
rearranging the order of things
commanding by way of whistle
shuffling tireless sheep
to the other side of the fence
ordering gas powered machines
to cease & desist

outside the city limits
the river is green & forest red
the drums of war
bombinating for weeks on end
blending in w/the scenery
advancing & retreating
like a wayward worker bee
at the mercy of the wind





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

Posted in In the City, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , ,
10 Apr 2023

powerless


it is not unbelievable
what you see before your eyes
on the one hand
there will always be abominations
and on the other
unfathomable beauty

where you walk
is what casts your lot
and while some may never see
the goodness of a collective
or the miracles of nature
or the grace of angels
most will find themselves incapable
of inflicting change
where it is needed the most





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

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

left on the side of the road


hey are you okay
yeah I think so
would you say if you weren’t
probably not

you’ve been talking to yourself again
what do you mean
like in my sleep
no you scream in your sleep

that’s funny
reminds me of the time [long ago]
I couldn’t find my car the next day

yeah I remember
what about it she says
idk I say
not much has changed since then





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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