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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

06 Mar 2023

the idol maker


close your eyes & make a wish
it just may be your last

who’s next is playing
in the background
& suddenly you find yourself
in nineteen seventy-one

the current wars
aren’t much different than the old ones
especially when launched
by the eventual loser

but the music that ensues
the poetry yet to come
now that is beauty to the ears
turkey-noodle soup for the soul
[respectively]

you sit back & say things like
I remember when
or back in the day
everyone surrounding you
singing yeah yeah yeah
a chorus for the ages





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

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
05 Mar 2023

the fox & the cowboy


the fox admitted
he wanted to be a cowboy
complete with boots
denim jeans & chaps
embroidered shirt
& stetson hat

when asked
why he had a fascination
with cowboys
the fox alluded to
an intense desire
to live the romantic life





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
04 Mar 2023

thunderstorm


my father doesn’t understand
the english language anymore
so I learned a little french
some spanish & portuguese
but that didn’t do the trick

I told him I didn’t want him to die
though deep down inside
I knew it was a pretty white lie

I told him how much I hated him
when I was an adolescent & a teen
but he could no longer hear me
through the cellular lines

my brother once told me
god & him were like this
which is why we continued
playing the back nine
each of us carrying
a bag of lightning rods





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
03 Mar 2023

intelligence evolution


there’s nothing artificial about it
sometimes definitions
don’t say what they mean

we’ve been trying to be gods
long before the first fire
it’s a natural progression of things

without question
machines will rule the day
their makers having won in the end
creating galaxies all on their own
all while watching
from high above





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
02 Mar 2023

the second coming


bartender in the confessional
sampling bloody mary mixes
handing them to patrons
through the slider

back in the day they’d be
on their knees
self-medicating philosophers
hitting the streets
dabbling in theology

if you only saw
how competitive things
have become
perhaps you’d consider
coming out of retirement
recruit yourself
a dozen or so disciples
and see where things go
from there





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

Posted in Dogma, In the City and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
01 Mar 2023

the recovery room


the trap door isn’t in the den
it’s in the dining room
an oriental rug
& four leaf oaken table
layered over it

on the table are tapers
a dozen in three candelabra
lit once a month [or so]
in honor of the new moon

inside the invisible space
resides a great spirit
—if you’re tempted
one time too many
you may never be seen again
[just go ask alice]

seated at the dining table
is a good place to be
as long as you have patience
and an appetite
—but if your sobriety
is in conflict with your inner self
it’s highly recommended
to eat in the kitchen





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

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
28 Feb 2023
2 Comments

same as the old boss


the weather outside is frightful
like political destruction
taking out pristinely bountiful fields
& architecturally stunning cities

unheard of humans stirring up
a boiling pot of take this
machine gun tornadoes
nuclear-powered hurricanes
trigger finger earthquakes

destroy & rebuild
displace & replace
mass murders
mass graves
what kind of economy is this
what kind of human history is this
to keep handing down





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

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , ,
27 Feb 2023
2 Comments

euthanasia


aiming his colt forty-five
directly down her neck
[perpendicular to the front of the skull]
the cowboy shot his horse dead
the muscles throughout his body
contracting just like hers
lasting less than 30 seconds
—as if choreographed
the two of them collapsed to the dirt
she as silent as the night
he sobbing uncontrollably
nothing but a shadow of his former self





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

Posted in Animals, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , ,
26 Feb 2023
2 Comments

smooth


the girl in the barrio
listened to the radio
every night
keeping the volume
as low as possible
so as not awaken
the others
the music soft
and soothing
as smooth as her skin
glowing from
the shine of the moon
her emotions
ruled by a heart
destined to understand
life outside these walls





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

Posted in In the City, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , ,
25 Feb 2023
9 Comments

we had a nice run didn’t we


I’m tired & want to lie down
will you lie down with me
and not say a word

the pace of life must slow
if I am able to go on

it’s not a matter of oxygen
but of imagination

the power to continue
remains out of my control

it used to be easy
to believe in immortality
but tonight the world
proves otherwise





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
24 Feb 2023
3 Comments

you are the only exception


Leave me with some kind of proof it’s not a dream
     —Hayley Williams

what is love
but a mesmerizing image
shining from the waters
reaching out
in sound & taste
pulling you deep underneath
where it’s quiet & safe

what is love
but a shadow of a doubt
veiled in the scenery
patiently waiting
a surprise embrace
sweeping you off your feet
& into the unknown

what is love
but a deep-rooted memory
residing in your heart
overly protective
when you are down
rising above the surface
at a moment’s notice





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

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , ,
23 Feb 2023
2 Comments

genius of the children


I shall lay bare all my sins
by way of the written word
etched onto paper
recorded in the cloud
available twenty-four seven
long after we’re all gone

while in the present
privacy is of no consequence
brainwaves like tree roots
interconnected & quite alive
conversing in a language
all their own





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
22 Feb 2023
5 Comments

a gentleman’s agreement


the night progresses
& rules bend
—how such deals w/the devil
are made
         this determination
         going on indefinitely
but then the realization
of the price paid





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
21 Feb 2023
2 Comments

the end is near


the man on the street
carries a sign reading
the end is near
his hair past his shoulders
his beard twice as long
he is the living & breathing
symbol of the apocalypse
advertising what everyone knows
another mugging gone wrong
another massacre in a makeshift church
another death row inmate executed
by way of lethal injection
all examples actually disproving
what the canvassing prophet believes





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

Posted in Dogma, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , ,
20 Feb 2023

the firing squad


we are awful villains
and we know it
—animal instincts
as brutal as any
species on earth

kill and conquer
all along the way
rock & roll blaring
only to enhance
the effectiveness

new genres sprout
generationally
giving a voice
to the those silenced
by inhumane ways





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

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

the neighbor one house down & across the street


we don’t know what happened
to the son & daughter-in-law
[or their child]
they could be anywhere by now

we’re not sure
about the girlfriend either
for all we know she could be dead

we’ve contacted animal control
numerous times
but it’s become one of those things
—short-term improvements
but a receding memory

somehow the cats in the neighborhood
managed to restore order
[all on their own]
the whereabouts of the main character
suddenly in question





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

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , ,

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