I ain’t got much left
my body battery drained
& according to my wearable
I’ve only so many days
yet to live
it’s not exactly
information overload
I’m just searching the stars
trying to decode
my next resting place
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
— for David W Lodge
Dave’s hot dog stand
the only thing
standing
between progress
& a Five Star Hotel
selling only the finest grub
in downtown Tucson
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the act of attrition
not quite the same thing
a personal sort of process
when left talking
to yourself
it’s been as many years
as there are
days in the week
since my last obituary
ghostwritten of course
and predated
elsewhere in the clouds
I like to hang out there
when I’m at my lowest
knowing it’s a mere matter of time
before I fall down like rain
hours upon end
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
not looking for sympathy
but an irreducible remedy
a little bump that gets me
from here to there
one minute you’re close
the next a living memory
lurking by day
& haunting by night
whether in my dreams
or real life
you tell me in so
many words
you’re but a chameleon
still loving to play
hide & go seek
practicing & reinventing
the fine art of deception
one superfluous life
at a time
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
late afternoon light
occasionally slipping in
between breezes
competing with floor lamps
an occasional flicker of artificiality
& other LED devices
to say it’s a gray day
isn’t really saying much
I mean isn’t it the light from within
that truly matters most
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
passing the test of time
is an impossible endeavor
if ever there was one
let’s dig into the past
explanations
layered one after another
facts & tidbits
clues & black holes
striking gold
unfolding new worlds
there is no time there
and when you’re weighed
down by the body
it’s critical to keep the
big picture
into perspective
in fact it’s essential
that you’ll not tell a soul
what it is you know
and precisely when
it’s going to happen
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Forging a new path is rarely easy
as any historian knows
societies flipping on their sides
defying the odds
by way of switching associations
Paying a price is never an option
no matter which side loses
ask any responsible citizen
pledging allegiance
to the latest & the greatest
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
time bleeds
pauses for no reason
and a scab forms
people come & go
and I am right there
intermingling amongst them
not really thinking
simply doing
like a dedicated army ant
time bleeds
stopping by applying
pressure
making origami
tourniquets
shutting it down
at least temporarily
time bleeds
a passed on genetic defect
a character flaw
an embarrassment having
to leave the show
for no apparent reason
incapable of discovering
the beginning or the end
I’ll not retire the thought
that what I don’t yet know
will one day be revealed
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
as history continues to repeat itself
I idly peruse the apothecary shop
filling my empty bread basket
casually
as if the atrocities of the latest century
can be replaced by non-
prescription drugs
newly arrived from omaha
or columbia or singapore
or maybe from the neighbor next door
the latter growing their own shrooms
& dabbling in synthetics
telling you how they’ve recently added
gambling to their repertoire
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
She can do anything at all
Have anything she pleases
—Chris Cornell
there’s all this talk
about simplicity & minimalism
reducing if not eliminating
mishaps & miscues
shedding thoughts of excess
and gaining intellectual insights
for no other reason
than to let the world know
that she can’t be changed
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
because slow motion is boring
and fast forward
makes no sense
unless you’re sitting inside
a time igloo
the fire went out somewhere
around mid century
and ever since
the dogs & I have been
trekking southward
we had a map
but had to eat it when
cornered by four coyotes
they let us off the hook
except for the youngest mutt
his mother crying
for the next seven days
we kept praying for rain
but all we got was this cold
fierce wind
sent directly from the north pole
they kept asking
where we’re going
and I said shut the fuck up
you’ll know when we get there
it’s not cold anymore
but we’re still numb
devastated by the
relentless fire
chasing us down like we’re
common criminals
I tell them the dakotas
must be near
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I might be her she said
and that made me think
if it might be her
who may I be
she might be the sunrise
and I may be the ground
she might be serendipity
and I may be starbound
I might be her she said
and I may be a passing ship
sailing by without permission
she might be exactly
who she thinks she is
and since discovering such words
I may never have noticed
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I fell in the dark
awakened by a dream
& I crawled on my knees
coming up empty
in search of a safe haven
I’d been here before
helpless & nearly breathless
the watch on my wrist
completely useless
this time will be different
isn’t that what they
always say
free falling deeper into the pit
arms swinging
upwards & wildly
april two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
on the spaghetti western set
the director directed
the fill in cowboys
to keep their smartphones
in their holsters
handguns were banned
but all the hotshots were adept
at concealment
though lacked commitment
in relation to their lines
the critics complained
about too many fist fights
and not enough
shoot yourself in the foot
kind of scenes
to me the whole thing
was nothing but a parody
on the american condition
old school shootouts
redefined by a new reality
april two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’ve been told it’s okay
to talk to yourself
as long as you’re not replying
reminding me of Springsteen
singing about
not looking into
the eyes of the sun
because oh Mamacita
that’s where the fun is
april two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’ve little control over poetry
which may or may not
be a good thing
the source of which
can be unreliably magical
or dreadfully out of mind
I cannot call upon poetry
nor summon it to appear
I can only hope
to lessen my heart rate
and wait for its presence
to overtake my soul
often when I go to the well
poetry is not present
leaving me wondering
how long must I wait
doodling [with ballpoint pen]
onto blank sheets of paper
april two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 