jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “river”

where the women sing


I was asked to step down & so I did
thirty-some steps & right-handed steel railing
assisting me to the banks of the river

it’s not like I’ve not done this before
time & time again so long ago
cracks in the concrete like an old story
artistically enhanced & completely believable

who’s calling me is subject to interpretation
I suggest you theorize for yourself
since all you have to work with are a few
printed words & more circulating in the air

there’s a boat anchored past the rocks
sails down & seemingly deserted
imaginary lifeline meeting me halfway




may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

river landing


there was dancing down by the river
or so we thought we heard something
streaming on the radio
either that or it was a just a feeling

by the time we reached the river
disco lights and glittery balls
stretched across iridescent banks
ordinary people dancing
like radiant aliens in a trance

past the main dance floor
ushers carry flashlights of sorts
escorting the elderly and tired and mad
the displaced and the misfits
methodically boarding unchartered ferries
destinations undetermined



september two thousand seventeen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

the power of the river


it wasn’t my idea to swim downstream
though I was thrown into the fray
one might say
by no choice of my own
my mother creating a vacuum
by pulling me toward her
tricking me into naturally pursuing her
by simply going with the flow


november two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

river of sorrow


first I lost my love
then I quickly lost my mind
encapsulated in glass
crashing headlong downstream
toward the convergence
known as the styx

consumed by the great marsh
my mind disappeared
deep within the underworld
leaving me cold and empty
and unable to understand
exactly what afflicted
my ailing heart



may two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

a moveable boulder


sometimes by millimeters
other times by inches the boulder
moved closer to the edge

over time the river carved
new pools out of wind and rain
recreating and repeating itself
reinventing the landscape via
natural courses of events

all the while the boulder
followed along the bank
like an intricate mechanism
inside a priceless chronometer
powered by the sun and destined
to witness the end of time


may two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

blue river


I wandered down to the river
where the rolling rock
segues into a row of willows
settled inside the shadows
and wished my blues away

dark clouds gathered ‘round
blanketing the sunshine
casting sheets of rain upon the river
purposefully rhythmical
yet without any reason

eyes surrendering to gravity
I spread my body across the ground
like an angel with torn wings
dreaming within the willows
in every single color except blue


april two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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