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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

08 Aug 2021
4 Comments

cooking up a new dish


playing god it’s what we do best
trying on three piece suits
jumpsuits or hazmat suits

the only door was well secure
nobody in or out without a godpass
but the one casement window
nobody really paid attention to

what comes in or what goes out
is rarely one in the same
mixing apples with oranges
or jackrabbits with flying squirrels
as if to say there’s nothing left to lose





august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
07 Aug 2021

sixty minutes until midnight


night after night
they’re knocking down doors
and taking away dreams

it’s in your best interest
to turn back the clock & stop
sleeping in your own bed

what they put in your body
is anyone’s guess
how you push it back out
is another story

it may be more dangerous
by land or air or sea
[or so the inner voice tells you]
seriously contemplating
disappearing entirely





august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
06 Aug 2021

when I come around


this is not personal
at some point
I’ll have to explain to my children
how you cannot choose your family

of course they’ll already know this
when the time comes
[or so they will say]
most of us carrying on
as if nothing had ever happened

they come & go & return as they please
mostly triumphantly
but every once in a while
like a battered boomerang

there are these marks on my skin
I’ve accumulated over the years
each one a story unto themselves
I seldom grow weary of telling

at some point they’ll apologize
for no good reason
and I’ll remind them how most things
usually come around





august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
05 Aug 2021
3 Comments

since before the beginning of time


I heard her calling
her original song
had no idea the direction
from which it arrived

this was back when far from blind
when I didn’t need my fingers
to feel every note
staying behind the brush
pretending not to exist

the trees are taller
than they’ve ever been
this I am certain without seeing
and the music from within
I now know by heart
having always been there
since before the beginning of time





august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged ,
04 Aug 2021

raising the bar


the classroom is full but none
are allowed to raise their hand
and if you did well
that would be the end of that

outside the windows
the children can see a soccer field
and ball diamond
brand new colorful playground equipment
that none are allowed to use

day by day
and hour by hour
the microcosm’s adult population
continues to diminish
while the artificial intelligence
implanted into its youthful citizenry
continues to grow





august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
03 Aug 2021

not laboring over the stove


self medicating may be the answer
adding honey & cayenne pepper
into a pot of simmering simplicity

starting with an exotic bone broth
add in a couple metamorphic rocks
and walk away for a day or two

while you’re away the remaining
ingredients will add themselves
like missionaries jumping into the fray





august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
02 Aug 2021

alien craft in the woods


I thought it was a dream
how I woke one morning & hiked
through the thirteen acre wood

the smell of some sort of metal
a slight but persistent taste on my tongue
guiding me closer to the crash site

an alien craft took out a ticket of hackberry trees
a quarter of the stern stuck
inside the earth
the bow pointing skyward at a
forty-five degree angle
its silver coating sparkling from
the nine o’clock sun

I took photo after photo on my iphone
attempting but unable to find
a window or door or escape hatch
leading me to believe
there is only one way to get in or out





august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Poetry and tagged , | Leave a comment
01 Aug 2021

opening of the skies


the river is low & the tomatoes are green
and the valley is thirsty for rain

what did you say I was not listening
for you see there is only fire in the sky
and I am unable to look away

I don’t know about you
but I can’t explain a single thing
happening on these populated streets

and once the sun fades away
the heart rate may slow down
though none of this magically disappears

from the beginning the river was low
before the prophets awoke from their sleep





august two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
31 Jul 2021

inside the apothecary shop


here we remain at an impassable place
a sheet of glass preventing us
from moving forward
as if we’ve become prisoners
without a sentence
unaware that the trap was devised
by an otherworldly hand

having lost our wings
we remain very much alive
recalculating & redistributing
the wealth of knowledge
to the very best in their fields
who expeditiously formulate
that which will burn through glass





july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
30 Jul 2021
4 Comments

getting back on your feet


another first night out
a series of dates
that stop & start over a lifetime
some of them shorter
and some longer
most of them likely
in-betweeners

the angle of the sun
doesn’t scare me
but unlike the drama of the moon
any & all changes are
noticeably subtle

[if I think about it for far too long
I gradually become someone else]

life is a series of choices
more often than not
leaving you without options
but it’s those times
that they do
that will ultimately define you





july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
29 Jul 2021
3 Comments

in and out of thin air


out of thin air you arrive
like a meadowhawk
in a muted brook
solitarily going about her day

there are no answers here
this much you know
skipping from place to place
your restless soul frozen in time

though your departure
may go unnoticed
mother earth will remember
your presence remains extant





july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
28 Jul 2021
2 Comments

singing in the rain


the rain barrel is empty
going on a fortnight now
and the flowers
oh the flowers
they’re in need of a good cry

I’ve been dancing
every night in the twilight
the dormant grass
beneath my feet
an exhibition
to any god who may listen





july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , ,
27 Jul 2021
4 Comments

last of the morning sun


she furrowed her brow
the girl with the brown hair
she pouted & she smiled
brushed back her brown hair
using either hand
& slowly walked away

what does she see
when she walks away
suddenly it’s present tense
& I sense tears
welling in her eyes

she is sad she is sad
there’s no question with this fact
she is sad
she is sad
the cause of her disconnect
unknown to any of us

she sees nothing
when she walks away
neither past nor future
the present tense
is all there is
& by the look in her eye
nothing seems promising

why did she furrow her brow
or pout or smile
& why did she suddenly
walk away
when everything
appeared to be so promising





july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
26 Jul 2021

intercepting inner city messages


five hour energy doesn’t
do much good
in these here streets
you’re better off using
old fashioned razor blades
& disposable needles

the neighbor’s cat
has gotten pretty good
at keeping us mostly safe
flashing the all clear signal
when not whoring around
from dawn until dusk

the building frowns upon
out-of-state visitors
but they’re usually the ones
with the best product
& with the cat’s help
we’re able to smuggle them in





july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
25 Jul 2021

Judith


The church is empty
no thanks to the pandemic
they’ll never come back
the Father said
they’ll never come back

What kind of god is this
that takes away your pain
by way of death
what kind of lie
are we living when you die
with no one by your side

It’s not like your sins
are any worse than those
who drove in the nails
it’s not like you deserve
to be hated in the end

Where do we go from here
after all has been forgiven
after the weight of the world
has been lifted from the
burdens that we bear





july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
24 Jul 2021

cleaning house


the good china
shattered into pieces
and a collective sigh of relief
naturally ensued

heaven hath no dust
or so I was taught
neither having time
for anything shattered

there are plenty
more memories to shatter
continuing to work
from room to room





july two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment

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