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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

31 Dec 2022

Emily


      —dedicated to my paternal grandmother who I never met

None of this makes sense
we are all machines
with parts that wear out

Although on a higher level
there is more to the mechanisms
than meets the eye

Art will not save the planet
but it may [theoretically]
outlive it
circulating in means
unimaginable

If Emily could hear you now
she would be a perfect
lady in waiting
no longer sickly
nor not wanting you around
but rather willing & able
to start all over again





december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
30 Dec 2022
2 Comments

the press conference


it’s widely known
there’s no time to lose
yet the urgency
in matters of great importance
seems to matter not
afterall

the reverberation
of inaction
rarely stands to reason
instead sucking up time
as if it’s of no
particular consequence

the sheriff
was quoted as saying
the murder case
would never go cold
simply because time was on
his side





december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
29 Dec 2022
2 Comments

California kitchen


Sugar cubes
in round ceramic dish
—pinkish w/dark green leaves
domed lid on top
cherry red ball its handle

In the kitchen
the Hatter must be near
Triangular people drink tea—
    talk of Alice suggestively
passing the dish
from one
to the next

Outside the sunshine
enters the inside—
the chatter changing
of going Underground
—not to mention
all the Things
they’ll be taking with them
    here & beyond



december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
28 Dec 2022

a life force stuck on idle


the pyramids of the cosmos
far too many light years away
to be seen by any
man-made eye

they’ve been replicated
right here on earth
a parallel reconciliation
understood by ancient egyptians
—the cosmic mystery of
interconnectedness

it takes more than mirror images
& wishful thinking
to conquer the stars
more than stepping in & out
of consciousness
on a sofa
talking to your shrink





december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
27 Dec 2022

fire in the attic


we’re back on the ground
having jumped out of
the little white aerocraft
at the break of dawn

at the same time
the sky was still falling
flaming rocks crashing
setting our very target on fire

we were unprepared
to reverse rappel
but that’s exactly what we did
outmaneuvering the fireballs
expertly escaping from hell





december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
26 Dec 2022

emergency run


it’s christmastime & we’ve no tequila in the cupboard
this pointed out to me by someone who doesn’t live here

how can we play stop lights without tequila
what could possibly take its place
—red   —yellow   —green

the travelers & gatherers & unannounced guests
have since moved on their merry way
now that the blizzard has passed

what shall keep us warm tonight without the power
without the fire
or the stories or the liquor
what could possibly make us survive another night

I’ve always wanted snowskies & snowshoes
just in case we need to make an emergency run
helping others along the way
stranded & without a prayer to make it to safety

that is
until I arrive like a miracle out of the ice
like a saint bernard with a backpack full of spirits





december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
25 Dec 2022
2 Comments

behind blue eyes


inside your watercolor eyes
people temporarily forget
their once weighty
earthly worries

behind your blue eyes
a calmness exists
lighting the way in this
never-ending journey

past your failing eyes
time never dies
reinventing itself
into a stand alone tree





december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
24 Dec 2022

The Great Failure


I fail to understand how I sleep at night

Where have you been dear sanity
and why do you evade my
quietest moments

This talking to someone
I fear whom may or may not exist
has been weighing

Heavily on the wrong side
of conscious thought
insistent on killing the enemy

Likely existing from within
a simple & delicate psyche
(in)capable of triggering

This insistence of wielding
instruments of creation
over the inevitable





december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
23 Dec 2022

Portland burning


Look what you’ve left behind
my friend
your stuff scattered
in places you’ve never been
having gotten there either by accident
or intentionally delivered
by loved ones still standing

Last night in my dream
you were alive
and never better
rounding up the troops
and shouting out marching orders
your famous last words
it’s now or never my friends





december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
22 Dec 2022

flyswatter


I’ve become blind
or have I become
invisible
drifting [not walking]
from room to room
searching for the fly
buzzing in my ear
surely it must have
survived
another night

the light reflects
in my eyes
though they are closed
a cold wind
transforming into drafts
[throughout this place]
abetting the fly
that sleeps at night
escapes my hand
by day

could it be
I’ve turned into the fly
[and the fly into me]
this inexplicable
desire to launch myself
and ricochet
from wall to ceiling
and back to floor
a compelling notion
—an inherent motion





december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
21 Dec 2022

alternative thoughts


I’ve taken an interest in illustrating
her pretty white lies
turning them into pretentious trees
inside my newly acquired
little black book

music on the radio I pause & choose
who should I believe
strong winds shaking loose the leaves
I pick them up two at a time
saying she loves me not





december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
20 Dec 2022

indifferent dreams


putting things into perspective
has become a troubling annoyance
therefore no such efforts
shall be allowed inside this
house of solitary discourse
where a steady stream
of conscious thought
comes in through the outdoor
circulating amongst the drafts that be
until they either expire into
an imaginary pool of desire
or casually live on
in another occupant’s dream





december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
19 Dec 2022

lord of the birds


birds & song & moving picture
congealing into a triangle
far away but coming into focus
slowly nearing the breakline
brought closer by the moon
& an inland breeze
children of the sand
pointing & jumping & shouting
we are saved
we are saved





december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Micropoetry, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
18 Dec 2022

careless discipline


careless discipline
is there such a thing
a lack of interest
in most things
up & down the line
a stark contrast
from possessing
a simple determination
to move forward selfishly
totally unaware





december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
17 Dec 2022
1 Comment

as the world goes dark


I retreat & rethink & move on
for how many years now
delving or diving or drilling
whether on foot
or at sea
creating vehicles of the future
in the palm of my hand

design flaws cannot stop me
as I shrink myself
into the tiniest of places
unearthing wormholes
right here at home
turning into a time traveler
as the world goes dark





december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
16 Dec 2022

filament


nobody knew what it meant
but they went with it
thinking [amongst themselves]
they’d figure it out as they went along

it was a strand
not like a piece of cloth
not like tungsten inside
an incandescent vessel
but like the tiniest clue
a piece of a key
an eighth of the characters
from an ancient code

its length is immeasurable
stretching beyond the milky way
likely visible than not
capable of shaping itself
into a chameleon
or a firefly
a child’s teardrop





december two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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

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