there is sadness in the air
a serpentine line of sorrow
bending further away
from the front door
it will take hours before
all emotions abstractly implode
the long line subtracting
piece by piece
until all that remains
is an empty space
june two thousand twenty-one
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s not even mid-february and already
the weeping on the streets
goes by unnoticed
it was just a couple of weeks ago
when the thaw was in full bloom
but that was short-lived
and now once again
the weeping on the streets has resurfaced
one hundred fold
what is to become of all this weeping
this unforgettable sorrowfulness
all too present yet seldom recognized
and what are we to do
standing unnoticed in the crowd
reaching out in furtive attempts
to make a difference
february two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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
there is no sense
in revisiting all the bad things
that may or may not have happened
instead
think of the things yet to come
like the seeds of dahlia
planted in your mind
create and smile and live
the way only you know how
and call forth into your mind
sunshine
where there is none
and beat back the darkness
with luminescent petals
may two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the room trembled with silence
as i sat alone on the high chair
punching keys and the space bar
with fingers and thumbs
moments earlier the silence
was interrupted with the clip clip clipping
of the fingernail clipper
and i remember thinking
what a masterful invention it was
as i purposely cut the left hand nails
much shorter than the right
the room’s silence grew louder
with terrible thoughts racing out of my mind
ricocheting off the walls and ceiling and floor
before returning to my fingers
and magically appearing on the plasma screen
i remember thinking it was such an awful silence
as tears of joy swelled in my eyes
my fingers racing millions of miles per millisecond
traveling beyond space and time
before crashing beautifully
into this alien creation
october two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
We drove through the cemetery
in the dead of winter
until we found the blue canopy
flopping in the wind
Many inches of snow had fallen
the night before but the plow
had cleared the lanes
A bright sun and dress shoes
hit the asphalt with purpose
As many as a hundred faces
converged on the canopy
in steadfast silence
Gusts of wind arrived from the west
and tossed snow off the roof
and onto the gatherers
Familiar prayers were recited
between coughs and sniffles
and one woman’s weeping
When a bugler played
a familiar lullaby
the vacant faces drifted
in varying directions
whispers of sorrow filling the air
january two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 