There’s too much activity
too much energy
and too little space
How many bodies
can you put in a capsule
and expect everyone
to come out alive—
on the other side
may two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it was only a matter of time
when future
meets present
reinforcing the idea
that what’s seen nowadays
isn’t necessarily what you get
but what I don’t get
is how I became this blade runner
in my recurring dreams
chasing down one alter ego
after another
each one stamped with born-on
expiration dates
march two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the moon
was born hollow
as empty as the thoughts
of a dead man
there’s a reason
unknown to humans
why it does not spin
on its axis
but on the inside
an alien race
is hard at work
getting it back on track
february two thousand twenty-five
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
on mars children are building
shelters & castles made of legos
within a few short years the structures
will transform into breathable homes
paving the way for the oxygen project
shielding them from the airless & crimson dome
potentially safer than any place
back home on earth
the children will grow & die off
but not before seeding
future generations of lego builders
giving way to skyscrapers
and underground cities
ripe with oxygen & rivers & purpose
creating creatures by way of
gene splicing & dna manipulation
gradually proliferating the planet
with a sense of pride & accomplishment
while back home on earth
the once blue jewel
continues to fade to gray
july two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
strikes stem from the skies
originating between
the clouds & the stars
randomized citizenry
jolted back to life
in the dead of the night
what used to be
infrequent close encounters
has become hell on earth
as if an alien race
nobody can see
plays god from the ether
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
It was a brick house
& it burned down overnight
a fire set by the Arsonist who goes
by the name Dead Bug
Missus Maloney & Molasses
were rescued by 15 firefighters
called into action
as the Full Moon struck midnight
Dead Bug’s motives
remain unknown at this point
diverse in its targets
& quite possibly
simply a Disgruntled Alien
february two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the river is bound to flood again
it’s only a matter of time
and what of the newly discovered exoplanet
blue & white and twice the size of earth
don’t you suppose the rivers flood there
once the levee breaks all hell will break loose
and people will ask yet again
why do we build so close to the water
what is our fascination with risk & reward
I can’t imagine life would be much different
once we colonize the watery place
january two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we were supposed to have landed
in the utopian basin
instead found ourselves in hellas planitia
yeah it was a bit warmer there
but the space bar was out of this world
that is until they closed it down for good
we were told about a mass migration
heading north to arabia terra
just outside the cassini crater
of course the winds were headed
in the wrong direction
which is exactly why we remained
in what would become a hellhole
for nearly a fortnight
december two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the spacewoman arrived
unannounced
right in broad daylight
lowering her hovercraft
onto the open field
where she proceeded
to kill the fatted calf
[soon thereafter]
feeding all of the inhabitants
until they had their fill
from as far away
as the eye could see
april two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the lost
& the forgotten
blinded by the wind
never to return again
repeating the pilgrimage
in the back of my mind
the night
turns into silence
the scattering clouds
revealing new satellites
blinking like a rising star
signaling the next move
march two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the characters are neither human
nor inanimate objects
and they have quickly learned
all the languages of the world
the angle of the sun has changed
for better or worse
exposing the weakness of the old
and the superiority of the new
to be subservient or not
requires careful contemplation
whether inside your own mind
or out in the great wide open
october two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we keep copying ourselves
but to no avail
the destiny of humanity
is written in stone
dug up and buried
time & again
it used to be
whatever died here
stayed here
but now that we’ve learned
to pierce the dome
we may never return again
september two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
you should be able to see me
clearly now
since becoming an alien in waiting
the tricks I’ve learned
in such a short period of time(lessness)
now preying upon your mind
as you attempt to decide
if you’re going insane
or becoming
someone exactly like me
living further from the truth
than ever before
reworking my appearance
using proverbial smoke & mirrors
and casting rolling stones
into bluesy waters
where I believe
you must be prospering again
july two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
they keep changing the rules
from ten thousand steps
to seven
eight hours of sleep
perhaps not the magic number
when I turned thirteen
I had a five speed road bike
& a brand new baseball glove
autographed by Willie Davis
[back then]
every now & again
I’d calculate how old I’d be
come the year two thousand
I’m not going to lie
things never got much better since
too many cars & not enough
bike lanes
where I live
I keep telling myself
things will get better
that my sports teams will once again
rise to the top
& all the evil empires of the world
will magically evaporate
may two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
if it was a sunflare
it couldn’t have possibly
reached the ground
but that is what they
would have you believe
anything requiring energy
simply isn’t working
not even battery
powered flashlights
cash is king
and there’s been a run
on candles & matches
and brown paper bags
the girls on the corner
are making a killing
selling shots of lemonade
january two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
hash brownies or under glass
one getting you focused
sooner than later
it was an unusual night
radio waves not quite
behaving like they should
an interstellar oddity
traveling nearly a lifetime
breaks through your exosphere
there it is there it is
you shout in excitement
handing over the telescope
outside it’s a beautiful dawn
hands upraised & open
welcoming the next chapter
january two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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