jdubqca

poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “transformation”

22 Apr 2024
3 Comments

reborn into the confluence


one day I won’t be a burden
spoken about on rare occasions
about hummingbird feeders
the old convertible in the garage

some stories will be harsh
others fatally funny
near death experiences retold
—the runaway character
the recluse looking down upon the sea

I never expressed final wishes
but once imagined being a tree
planted along the cedar
just as she succumbs to the iowa


april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , ,
07 Feb 2024
2 Comments

sublime


by gently heating
it’s possible to convert
certain substances to gas
only to have them condense
back to their solid state
by way of cooling

what tricks are these
and what purpose do they serve

wouldn’t it be grander
to raise someone or something
into a state of excellence
in a spiritual sort of way
w/o the need of temperature
manipulation





february two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
23 Oct 2023

waiting at the station


there is no test at the end
only a brief darkness
followed by a reality that cannot
be explained using words
uttered by mere mortals
as if witnessing the birth of a child
for the very first time
—only this time the child is you





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

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
17 Oct 2023

the ceasefire


it is peaceful
inside the war room
mainly due to the lack
of any military personnel

in front of the south window
a betta swims
in a heated fish bowl
while on the outside sill
a juvenile raven peers in





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

Posted in Birds, Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
06 Feb 2020
6 Comments

oh mercy me


I saw what you did there
changing your spots into stripes
thinking nobody would notice

of course who am I to talk
having shed my skin so many moons ago
back when I was granted clemency
by the powers that be
seeing the world from new perspectives

I saw you going into the woods
and I was sure you’d never return
at least not in my lifetime

of course I followed you in
not as your weaponized protector
more like a casual observer
curious in witnessing
the mystery of divine intervention

I saw what I saw
the blind man said to the snake
the former having left his former self



february two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,
12 Nov 2018

transformation embraced


now that death is upon us
the curse of darkness has been lifted
replaced by a faint light
gradually expanding in the dead of night

fear not the universe next door
having frequented your once lucid dreams
providing glimmers of hope
when otherwise preoccupied with despair

closure is but a paradox
like a cold case begging to be unwrapped
if for no other reason
than as a reminder you’ll always be loved




november two thousand eighteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , | Leave a comment
22 Oct 2016
2 Comments

annual transformations


stranger is the night on halloween eve
like a mad scientist creating in the lab
saving face from an alien race

growing wings like a common housefly
aspiring to be an angel for one sad girl
laughing quietly behind closed door

time travelers get lost exploring
mountains or underground tunnels
designed to keep you trapped inside
spherically-shaped revolving objects

nothing to hide and everything to gain
he loses himself beneath her skin
stealing mind and body and soul
invisible wires tied to extremities



october two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Aliens, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
13 Jan 2014
7 Comments

the treaty of good riddance


let go of the anger
leave it at the doorstep
ring the bell and run away

there is no room for it
anywhere or anymore

all it does is drag you down
leaving you
and everyone around you
exhausted

let go of the anger
and reach out to someone
in need
someone you’d never thought
would need help
or someone on the other side

let go of the anger
and instead practice humility
and patience
and gratitude
start proving to yourself
you can live without it
and be someone better
than you were the day before

think of the restraints anger
puts on your life
how it prolongs your depression
and reinforces your addictions
preventing you from ever truly
enjoying the benefits of positivity
hospitality and endless creativity

think about it
think about how losing your anger
would be the best thing the world
would ever know

food will taste better
the air will smell sweeter
and those streaks of light
racing through the sky
will be nothing but beautifully peaceful





january two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , , ,

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