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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “reality”

11 May 2025
8 Comments

anti-confessional


if you read my journal
you’d be even more confused
where my poetry comes from

in my own mind
I never should have lived
beyond the age of eighteen
either by kismet or my own hand
or that of another

once leaving the house I grew up in
it was never my home again
yet for some undefinable reason
I kept going back

in my journal there is theft & murder
illicit drugs & foreign intrigue
while between the lines you may find
lavender irises
and little yellow songbirds

in my poetry
indeed there may be more of the same
though none of it comes close
to my own reality


may two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
26 Dec 2024

museum piece


she sat staring at the painting
for hours on end
sitting in silence in disbelief
convinced the woman dressed in white
sitting on the red cushioned bench and observing
the painting on the museum wall
had not existed upon her last visit


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

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
29 Nov 2024
2 Comments

manifestation


you matter of factly
lost interest in reality
stopped reading the news
in order to stave off
impending insanity

alternative worlds abound
the trick is finding
the ones you want to
stay lost in
living on roots &
mushrooms & rainwater
falling from a violet sky

back in the real world
search parties
are on the lookout
for someone who looks
just like you
reportedly last seen
entering yeti territory


november two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
26 Sep 2024
2 Comments

here & now


the past is nothing but a memory
a story if you will
connected by way of stepping stones
to a place called now
a place where the future
is nothing but an idea

when living in the omnipresent
time doesn’t exist
instead truth becomes the only way
circling in cycles
and flowing like water
slipping through your fingers


september two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , ,
17 Aug 2024

Moon on water


What fool is this I said
walking on shallow water
how can he possibly
play tricks with my eyes

From the locust tree
an owl replied it is the moon
disguised as a man
walking on water

But the moon I said
circles above
with predictable regularity
how can it be
I’ve never seen it before
on the face of the earth

The owl replied
the moon is everywhere
at all times
and will be with you in the grave
when the time is right

But what of the moon
disguised as a man
walking on shallow water
for what purpose is this

The purpose the owl replied
is to illustrate
possibilities are endless
whether on land or water
or any unimaginable place
for that matter
you may have yet to see


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

Posted in Birds, Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
06 Aug 2023

outside the third dimension


seeing things in the peripheral
that are not there

a roman soldier delivering the mail

a mother suddenly in tears

an angel pirouetting

beneath the streetlamp

who’s to say what is not real
on this here & now planet

presenting images as she pleases
occasionally in obvious ways





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

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
01 Dec 2022
5 Comments

purple petunias


it starts with planting
flowers in the dark
where there is no sunrise
or sunset
—the grand scheme
of things hidden
behind the scenes

rapid eye movement
paints all kinds of pictures
imagining opening
the curtain for all to see
all sorts of colors
splashed upon the fabric

the green of grass
the blue of sky
the yellow sun

new realities are made
in such ways
when eyes are shut
sleepwalking
through the garden
trowel in hand





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

Posted in Dreams and tagged , , ,
08 Jun 2022

très bizarre


it’s not easy for any of us
and yet we proceed
as if everything is peachy

it’s a face that you wear
like a past familiarity
known before birth
saying you belong here
but then—out of nowhere
once your eyes
are again wide open
—complete abandonment

it’s hard to say what you mean
as you easily proceed
from one bizarre moment
to the next





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
14 May 2022

Preparing for a New Day

            with a nod to Sylvia Plath

With terrible intensity
I am again
drawn into the fray
impossible to distinguish
reality from the day to day
as if I should know
what’s considered normal
versus the outer worldly

You’ve been there before
if you recall
crawling out of your skin
on a Sunday morning
dealing with a reality
constantly changing
reminding you that living
is only the beginning





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
11 Mar 2022

the rookie


it’s a complicated thing
trying to live in the past
whether it be via memories
or physical reality itself

the theory of experience
is like a bulletproof vest
hanging on the door hook

next time you’ll probably
take it with you

if there is a next time





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
25 Nov 2021

living in this necessary evil


there is this reality
that we don’t know about
other than through dreams
and from there
we are left in the dark

inside the matrix
is another form of reality
one we rarely get a glimpse of
maybe by way of a dream
inside of a nightmare

it’s like that window
or that mirror
replicating itself ad infinitum
possessing you without question
taking to all the places
you’ve known throughout
the course of human history

in the meantime
(and for some unknown reason)
this present day reality
remains a necessary evil





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

Posted in Dreams, History, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
10 Nov 2020
2 Comments

crawling in my skin


what will become of me
on those dark cold nights
not knowing if I’m
sound asleep
or walking on thin air

the air outside is oh so cold
and the wind
oh the wind she is wicked
knocking on my door
at all hours of the night

there is a fine line
between sublime identities
& newfound realities
the kind you are likely to find
crawling toward the light




november two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , ,
21 Apr 2017
6 Comments

by the time spring arrived reality set in


the king’s inner circle sent away men on horseback
to sow the seeds of forgiveness

it was the first of its kind and unbiased officials say
they are planting courageous ideas

before winter set in the horsemen sought comfort
slightly below the earth’s surface
solving religious conflict through peaceful uprisings





april two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , ,
14 Sep 2014
10 Comments

Rewriting the Universe

by Daniella Sciuto & J Matthew Waters

I drew these lines ages ago without
understanding the consequences
and my desire to protect them
weakened as time wore on

I sketched these images
fast frenetic murals on the wall
portraying all my doubts
concerning this world
and myself
and then I lived on
each day passing by
these lines remained unchanged
concealed by a thin layer of imagination

I crossed the line into a new
form of reality
regaining my strength by
becoming one with creation
drawn across the land
yet the pull of these lines
that basis of all
beyond the veil of life
influenced everything
no matter how much I whitewashed
my tabula rasa was not pure
and I found myself
redrawing the lines
found myself starting all over again

this is how it both
ends and begins
with poetry written
rewritten and rewritten again
layers upon meanings
upon words
with us forever
redrawing the lines
starting all over again
whilst the ghosts of poems past
influence everything




september two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , ,
28 Nov 2013
16 Comments

in and out of reality


I crawled out of my skin
and curled into a ball
allowed the wind to kick me
down an endless winding road

along the way I witnessed
invisible claws dig
deep inside an open field
uncovering ancient treasures

as diamonds gradually
overwhelmed the sky
I unfurled my mind and
surrendered my spirit
to the next reality





november two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , , , ,

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