there must be something
in the rainwater
how else could you explain
the dumbing of
america
political distractions
overshadowing
deeper concerns
in the skies & seas
regional wars
and mass murders
as commonplace as NFL
passes and
baseball in October
fans in the stands
staring into the palms
of their hands
pretending
to be informed
as the storms rage on
october two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the cats and the dogs
were actively taking over
town after town
just like conspiracy theorists
had predicted
it was too incredulous
for even the
fake news
to cover
but boots on the ground
quickly found
no law or no order
in the towns that had fallen
meanwhile back on the trail
politicians took aim
at the issue
some saying there’s nary a problem
others adding fuel to the fire
with their fiery rhetoric
truth is only one person
can stop the madness
that being the one
who stirred the pets into action
in the first place
september two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
sorry JFK
but that think not thing
seems to have been permanently
buried in the past
replaced by old-school selfishness
—something you thought worthy
to metamorphose into civility
though the idea strikes a chord
today’s political reality
remains a dysfunctional fiasco
—something the coming of age
generations may inherently relate to
redefining indifference
if you know what I mean
march two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I shot the Messiah
or someone who looked like him
right there in broad daylight
outside the bath
where there were many witnesses
Word quickly spread
that I shot the Messiah
right there in broad daylight
so many of the witnesses in shock & awe
pointing their fingers at me
When I dropped the revolver
it landed in such a way
the chamber opened & bullets escaped
the witnesses mesmerized & questioning
why I shot the Messiah
The whole scene was surreal
like in a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western
the Messiah shot but not dead
the witnesses adamantly begging him
to save himself
february two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
where did it go
that little son-of-a-bitch
I had in my hand yesterday
you misplaced it again
says the reptilian part
of my brain
and I reply right out loud
—yeah I know
this lapse is most likely
directly related to modern day
religion & politics
both failing institutions
trying to keep holding hostage
yesterday
looking at my left wrist
things are starting to come back to me
how the kitchen knives
need sharpening
that occam’s razor is probably
the sure-fire way to go
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
There is a lull
giving me time to think
what to do with
the furniture
the cars
& the children
If we were to flee
that would either
question our innocence
or solidify our guilt
—it’s what they call
a win win situation
It seems the bail
made just the other day
isn’t worth an order
of McDonald’s fries
Inside the rule of law
tick
tick
ticks away
whereas on the outside
it’s a jungle
poachers with spotlights
picking & choosing
leisurely to their liking
In case of emergency
wield the hammer
against the glass
pick up the answer
in the form of a map
unfolding itself
time after time [after time]
march two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
It was a murder mystery dinner
and I was asked to dress
like Colonel Sanders
and bring a bucket of chicken
Sipping on whiskey
and smoking in the parlor
I listen how Thurston and Lovey
purchased vintage luggage
on amazon-dot-com for
pennies on the dollar
had them shipped free to their
second home in The Bahamas
In the next room Charlie’s angels
watch Norman Mailer
play chess with Jesus Christ
briefly interrupted by the
unidentified host whispering
something or other in their ear
I kept expecting Colonel Mustard
to make an appearance
but I guess that would
just be too weird
but then I heard there was a drug scene
going down in the lower level
and I raised my eyebrows
and thought twice
april two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
somewhere in michigan the tap water
is very hard to drink
and somewhere in minnesota
somebody is cracking jokes
the old couple down the street
did themselves in
like in a bukowski poem
but this time the neighbors
didn’t have a clue
because the old man nuked
the TV dinners
these politics in these
united states
need somehow to reinvent
themselves
their labels clearly out of date
unable to stop the wave
that is about to take them over
some of us work on mainstreet
some of us forty stories high
some of us strive
to be alive
in the wires or better yet
on wifi
sometimes barely seen
except when needing to strike
in the meantime economic
inequalities stretch elastically
chartlines hitting new lows
and testing resistance points
while more and more children
act as runners in the alleys
just another piece of the puzzle
royal princes might say
that keeps the status quo
from taking life too seriously
february two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
they shot the protester
because he did protest
yet at his publicized memorial
they celebrated his life
as a court jester
the queen became enraged
at the death of the jester
and she dispatched the royal
police to hunt down
the transparent killers
the transparent killers dissolved
into the adjoining kingdom
blending with the locals
by begging for change
on street corners
recharged with fresh dollars
more protesters perish
by organized zealots
rudimentarily disguised
as the new court jester
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
i wandered the open market
looking for nothing in particular
when a young girl motioned me
from a little blue booth
she held out her hand
some sort of oval silver coin
placed on her palm
what is it i asked
it is yours she said
no it’s not mine i said
i’ve never seen this before
please take it she said
i want you to have it
i lifted the oval silver coin from her palm
and held it between my thumb and forefinger
with my other hand i reached into my shirt pocket
for my reading glasses
it’s a pocket jesus she said
yes i see that now i said
how much do you want for it
it’s priceless she said
as i left the open market
i could hear my pocket jesus
mingling with my american presidents
and i imagined what a lovely scheme
they must be cooking
to finish me off dead broke
but unafraid
march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the older i get the less i know
and that is the only thing
i know for certain
i’ve become disconnected
with the political process
in this screwed up country
where we spend more time
kicking the can
down deficit lane
than trying to figure out
why most of us here
don’t want to be able to
feed our own faces
i heard the other day
the president wants some sort
of mandatory preschool program
put in place
so the little ones can take to task
and figure out why we continue
to get further behind china
who will one day no doubt
be pulling all the strings
dangling above our heads
february two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there’s nothing new
going on around here
except for elvis and jesus
walking the streets again
everywhere around the globe
people are revolting
while special forces make sure
they’re in on the action
the price of oil fluctuates
like the unpredictable warming
giving rise to speculation
the end is already here
january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there are too many bad guys
running around.
they’re everywhere
and they make everyone nervous.
these bad guys either carry guns
or they have access to them
or they have whole armies
at their disposal.
there are too many bad guys
running around.
they go to school
or work for the private sector
or the public sector
or no sector at all.
the bad guys either work alone
or become organized as gangs:
some considered illegal
and some considered legitimate
depending upon your perspective.
there are too many bad guys
running around and can be found
anywhere on the planet.
just pick a spot.
they are on television
and some of them provide the news
about the bad guys in waterloo
or shanghai or timbuktu.
there are too many bad guys
running around and they aren’t
going away anytime soon.
january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s always been that way
nothing about the past
is fair
and the future
will always be flawed
when you sit down
and wonder if things are moving
in the right direction
something hits you in the face
reminding you
the system always operates
with vital parts missing
october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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