dressing in moods requires
an extensive wardrobe
consider the rainbow
(for example) she says
on the surface only seven colours
but if you possess enough ambition
can easily be turned into countless
ambiguous amalgamations
november two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we used to chase them just like we chased
butterflies and rabbits and tornados and daydreams
pretended to store them in mason jars in the cellar
(or the lower level as we like to say)
sealed tight and placed on web-laced shelves
like ordinary bottles of homemade beer or wine
or better yet experimental body parts
ensconced in formaldehyde
and though we talked at great length of our
supposed prized collection
nobody in their right mind dared go underground
to disprove their existence
august two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
skipping rocks in space
the flatter the better so they say
skimming along invisible waves
making wishes as they fade
light years away
where they finally wind up
nobody really knows
(except the creator)
perhaps as a collective of
gold-colored coins
deposited into a simple pot
strategically placed
at the end of an endless rainbow
june two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
water-colored clouds fill the sky
painted bird flexing her wings
sitting atop chalkboard line
everywhere there is repetition
right down to nanocreatures
living and dying in nanoseconds
catching wave after wave after wave
clouds give way to a super sun
washing out the painted bird
taken to flight and searching again
june two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
your garden is all grown up
said the daughter
to the old man as they
sat in front of the fire pit
listening to the wood talk
she remembered way back when
there were stepping stones
throughout the garden
and she would jump from one stone
to the next like you would
playing hopscotch
the stones were still there
camouflaged beneath the jungle
barely noticeable amongst the greenery
blossoming a spectrum of colors
rainbows inspired to imitate
do you remember
when we put in the stepping stones
asked the old man
yes I do
answered the daughter
I was just thinking about that
june two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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