I was eavesdropping on their conversation
hoping between the lines
there might reside some sort of poetry
however it became a sad situation
how the latter was not in tune with the former
& vice versa
both seemingly drifting apart
since the day their music died
but when learning death had reawakened
into her earthly body
I came to understand the madness
residing inside his compassion
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Behind the big tent
The little boy
Continued to learn
How to command
The juvenile elephant
His truest friend
Since birth
All the while
The juvenile elephant
Felt sorry for the boy
Reciprocating
In her own way
february two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
how do you think I feel
she replies
to my ignorance
it was a rhetorical question
I open the refrigerator
pull out a can of beer
from the top shelf
yeah I know I know
I see your daughter
has been painting elephants
yes mostly pink ones
I confirm
there’s an elephant taking a nap
in the next room
turning to the sink
she washes the sharp knife
placing it in the strainer
having walked away
unceremoniously
I make myself
a meatloaf sandwich
february two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
still a middlegame
I start dancing with my king
performing a traditional triangulation
much to the chagrin of the opposing side
I lean across the board
you instinctively light my fire
leaning back I exercise my lungs
wondering when you’ll make the next move
november two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
to you I can tell nothing
and so I sit & listen for the wind
to bring me something new
if the silence were a shadow
and you retreated
for a time
I would then speak whenever
the sun allowed me to
in the late evening
the sounds of the day
reinvent themselves intensely
—a language all their own
you saying nothing as I
listen for clues
august two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
what can I take from him
in his waning years
that I’ve yet to discover
he asked me
is there anything that I have here
that you want
anything whatsoever
of course I realized
he was speaking of material things
having consistently kept his own philosophies
close to the vest
in hindsight there were probably
a thing or two or three—
could it have been
he was opening a door
trying to bait me like the fisherman
that he is
tempting me with a tidbit or two
only to yank it away
I nodded sideways
uninterested in the material world
incapable of matching his own imagination
august two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she doesn’t want to talk
I can relate
and the other one
can’t hear too well
& doesn’t understand me
it was a short conversation
and somewhat irrelevant
just checking in I say
as if I’ve nothing left to do
the night becomes quiet
a sneaky suspicion
comes & goes as it wishes
like a dormouse in the pantry
I keep telling myself
no news is good news
as long as the fire burns itself out
and the living
keep on breathing
january two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
believe me when I tell you I am free
unburied and unchained and finally me
burdens that once had me grounded
lifted by an unknown sleight of hand
no longer a piece of property
you may or may not ever see me again
now that I’m free to rediscover myself
experimenting with consciousness
and subconsciously exploring
past and present and future places
whether or not I return here is unknown
but today I make a promise to you
whatever happens from this point
until the proverbial end of time
we will remain strangely inseparable
may two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
won’t you please
make another pot of tea
and stay with me awhile
we can try on
those thinking caps
the ones I told you about
last time you were here
the ones I bought at the
flea market back when
you were just a child
or we can dial up
another sci-fi movie and
marvel at the special effects
like we used to do
all the while sharing
some buttered popcorn
never saying a single word
but if you must move on
that much I understand
but won’t you please please please
start another pot for me
before you do
march two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I’ve been thriving on strawberry
and lemon water
eating almonds and cashews
every other day
all the while considering how
seriously I’m in need of some sun
she awoke before me
her shower a part of my dreams
later leaning over to kiss me
rainfall hitting the pitch of the roof
just perfectly
you’re dressed for success
I murmured
squinting and gathering pillows
I hope you’re not going to lie there
all day long she says
before I could answer she was gone
april fools day two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
sometimes she rises unexpectedly
somewhat slight
and somehow bright
like a slice of lemon or orange
painted in the sky
far out west ideas stretch
and sink
fading like an autumn leaf
face to face juxtapositions often
lead to uncertainty
casting doubt
by way of a thousand lies
there are certainly higher standards
worth obtaining
but not at the cost
of having to show no mercy
december two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
he asked me why I was always near
shouting as if he was deaf
pointing fingers about which way
the wind blows
as if I always knew
when to grab a jacket
or carry an umbrella
he stopping drinking gin
and switched to vodka
because that was my mother’s favorite
in the candlelit parlor
he would silently toast her beauty
until he could no longer see
when midnight arrived I would take off
his shoes and put up his feet
lay a blanket over his fragility
his hand grasping the cane
he never wanted me
to take him out to dinner
because as he put it
I know everything about nothing
and talk way too loud
october two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
out of nowhere billy lost everything
waking up to a note
segued by a pink slip at work
months later evicted from his
place in philadelphia
sally took it all to minnesota
life and child crammed inside
u-haul speeding north on 35
not a tear in her eye
nor ounce of shame left behind
unable to cut it on the streets
billy hit the road south to miami
playing drums and keeping warm
lip syncing in the shower
and banging his head on blue tile
back in arizona sally arrives on time
stepping off the plane
taken in by a friend of an online friend
homeschooling by day
and singing late into cool nights
on his fortieth billy falls back in time
with a young sally on coney island
arranged by a matchmaker
from oklahoma city
wishing to remain anonymous
april two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I don’t remember autumn being this wet
she said
I blinked my eyes and looked outside
thinking to myself what an
absurd thing to say
it’s not that wet I said it’s just an illusion
it’s wet enough they canceled tonight’s
baseball game she said
real men play in the rain I said
you’re an idiot she said and walked away
I raised my glass and made a silent toast
to rid the world of absurdity
and rainy october nights
october two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she told me she liked a good cliché
liked how it felt against the
tip of her tongue
she was the kind of gal
who loved to french kiss for hours
or so she told no one
I remember her telling me on
new year’s eve
to be at the bus stop at noon
where she’d pick me up and
we’d go picnicking in the park
it rained throughout the night
and well into the morning
and though the buses don’t
run on sundays
there I sat in the dark
wondering where she was
june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
you make me feel this big she said
eyes squinting
thumb and forefinger
an inch away from her nose
walking taller than usual
she exited the stage like someone
who knew exactly
where she was heading
as open minds followed
her every footstep
my mind traveled far inside
that imaginary space
she had just recited
march two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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