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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “time”

05 Oct 2021
4 Comments

Bartering for time


In the photograph nothing changes
it’s what separates images from reality
and laughter from tears

Sometimes it gets ugly inside
‘a winter of discontent’ if you will
but you must face it head on
repeating mantras & bad daydreams
knowing full well the latest malaise
will somehow pass
undetected

Nobody knows you anymore
and you’re perfectly fine with that
working in the underground
chipping away by
rewriting history
courtesy of some distant energy





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
14 Sep 2021

surviving the night


dating with time
the forever young man
dances with the ancient princess
gray-haired & lithe

the night could not
possibly last forever
or so she whispers in his ear
seducing a smile

but of course he has
countless memories
having survived the rise & fall
of many an empire





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

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
01 Sep 2020
2 Comments

undoing the end of time


I imagine as the years pass
change appears to quicken its pace
when in fact all along it’s been this way
from the very start

people are passionate by nature
though by many varying degrees
hiders & seekers alike
attempting to vainly save themselves
or selflessly saving others

we can stampede much faster
than one or twenty horses
kicking up dirt & turning the landscape
into a horizontal blur
or methodically slow things down
to a virtual crawl
wiping clear the skies & undoing
the end of time




september two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
07 Feb 2019
4 Comments

with no place to go


I’m sitting in a rocking chair
next to the bay window
paralyzed
a ray of light shining through
warming my hands

inside a clock is ticking
a fire burning
eyes shut tight I listen
to the house settling
as finches gather
in nearby spindle tree

I’ve watched the cycling
of the seasons
for so many years gone by
seemingly
from this very place
where the passage of time
simply stands still




february two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Poetry and tagged , ,
13 Jul 2018
5 Comments

mapping a new course


it’s early but I’ve got all night
pretending there are words
to stitch tight and scars to retrace
for no other reason than to pass time

time is a killer and has always been
especially to those preoccupied
studying mirrors expecting to find
openings through impassable roads

so many roads we’ve traveled alone
but I swear this one will be different
far-reaching and beautifully winding
leading us forward without precaution




july two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
10 Jul 2018

as you watch the world expand


do not fall for the trap that is time
for she has never been a foe
but more like a partner in crime

she has erased so many records
that have haunted you along the way
covering up your misdeeds
and replacing them with lies

it’s easy to stop remembering
but impossible to forget
how the morning air flowed effortlessly
as you surrender to a brand new day

there’s a cancer seductively resting
deep inside your entrails
biding its time but perfectly at ease




july two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
06 Jan 2015
8 Comments

Kaleidoscope


I’ve secluded myself or
shall I say excluded myself (from others)
confined to a modest space
somewhere in Phoenicia
surrounded by stained glass distractions
which keep out the harsh daylight
only to reappear much later as
illuminated decorations of the night

There is no time for sleep and
cloudless nights make for lighter work
problem solving triangles
and troubleshooting new moons
piecing back together romances
from far away places where future
discoveries withstand the test of time


january two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
16 Aug 2014
6 Comments

brand new world


little paper moon inside
my watch pocket
keeping time like I never knew
changing from sliver
to full without being seen
brightening and fading
like a kiss from my little girl
wishing the world would
always stay brand new


august two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
08 Mar 2014
6 Comments

time and again


I keep those long-lived regrets
wrapped tight and away from the light
placed in the deep freeze
the furthermost corner of my mind

those days sitting on the cold tiled floor
gluing back together eggshells are no more
replaced by looking around and
seeking light emanating from
every single living thing

relaxed by warm shadows lengthening
from the fading summer’s sun
I imagine things have a way of working out
if we only allow impending events
to unfold as nature intended

from the seed to the stem to the beauty
blossoming from the light of day
we capture alive the fleeting moments
forever freezing them time and time again


march two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
02 Aug 2013
8 Comments

the time eraser


fleet of foot
and quite aloof
the time eraser
runs in the background
as quiet as a ghost

as mistakes
accumulate
the time eraser
springs into action
restoring sanity

troubles fade
thoughts unravel
the time eraser
intravenously
injecting new cocktails


august two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
15 Jun 2013
4 Comments

some kind of way out of here


in the archives
they let me spend my time
weaving tales of prison breaks
not even the watchtower
can contain

this life inside
the loneliest place on earth
would break the common man
but here I sit and sail away
stealthily

once a month
I wander the yard and chat
with all the pretty young ladies
who stopped writing me
years ago

in my mind
I lived out my days in paradise
where the flowering perennials
rooted before the breach
still flourish


june two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
19 May 2013
12 Comments

I do not wear a watch for I am not afraid


I am not afraid of the tick tick ticking
in the dark of the night
not afraid to challenge the allusion
that everything is linear

all of the crooked roads
lead to broken clocks
stacked high within a framework
not even a jeweler would dare touch

the wise old owl understands
why man is obsessed with counting
but refuses to reveal the truth
and so the journey goes round and round

I shall never retire my fight against
the concept of a single dimension
will never accept the gift of a watch
whose mechanisms will one day fail



may two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , ,
07 Mar 2013
2 Comments

the best of times


atomic clocks don’t reside
in chicago
they need to be out there
in the big sky
where microwaves
have no place to hide

the intelligence of time
transitioned from
lord kelvin’s suggestions
whilst cool atoms
forever suspended
chime in milliseconds


march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , ,
05 Jan 2013
9 Comments

little mermaid


i opened my eyes
to a world full of ice
beautifully blue
and frozen in time

ages ago i called
out your name
chipping the surface
to find you again

with a little magic
i bent the tides
hoping tomorrow
you’d resurface alive


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

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

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