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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “war”

06 Apr 2013
10 Comments

the chocolate revolution


there’s a revolution brewing
and it’s going to be loud
and dangerous and downright
unintellectual for so many

old women stand in long lines
buying magazines for their men
while inside dogs stay huddled
behind yet intact furniture

unrecruited men and boys
hide behind alleyways
reading the latest reports
from handheld devices

a voice from the loudspeaker
claiming to be the answer
promises free tickets to paradise
and chocolate for everyone


april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , , , ,
17 Mar 2013
6 Comments

only madmen shoot at the moon


in the middle of the afternoon
the lights went out in the city
and all the people
filed out into the street from the skyscrapers
and candy stores
and barber shops
and taverns
quiet as kindergarteners on a fire drill

it was like the calm before the storm
as the full moon
performed its magic
only this time
as it slowly penetrated into the light
it was shot down
by a thousand arrows
launched from within the earth



march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , ,
03 Mar 2013
5 Comments

the prince and the peacemaker


the children are being watched
by men with weapons
acting as protectors
from foreign forces

they volunteer as escorts
for the elders
protecting them from snipers
and negotiators with knives

it’s easy getting educated
at such a young age
quickly picking up maps
and languages
of many legions

as long as they refrain
from strapping on suicide packs
their prophesy of negotiating
lasting peace
will one day ring true



march two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , ,
06 Feb 2013
2 Comments

reconnaissance


it was a deafening ride
to the top of the clouds
and the further we climbed
the quieter the night became

one by one we jumped
through the crescent moon
the relative wind pushing us
toward our desired target

once reaching terminal velocity
we expanded our wings
and eased into the uncertainty
of a hostile territory




february two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
25 Jan 2013
14 Comments

just what the world needs


there are too many bad guys
running around.
they’re everywhere
and they make everyone nervous.

these bad guys either carry guns
or they have access to them
or they have whole armies
at their disposal.

there are too many bad guys
running around.
they go to school
or work for the private sector
or the public sector
or no sector at all.

the bad guys either work alone
or become organized as gangs:
some considered illegal
and some considered legitimate
depending upon your perspective.

there are too many bad guys
running around and can be found
anywhere on the planet.
just pick a spot.
they are on television
and some of them provide the news
about the bad guys in waterloo
or shanghai or timbuktu.

there are too many bad guys
running around and they aren’t
going away anytime soon.


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
23 Jan 2013
4 Comments

purple heart


thoughts begin to falter
as my blood pressure
takes a sudden drop

helicopter blades cut
into the dark night
racing toward the cross

on the ground miracle
workers scramble
to prepare the table

it’s gonna be all right
someone told me
is all that i remember


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , ,
13 Jan 2013
2 Comments

peace process


it’s too complicated
all these thoughts running
through the streets
without supervision
with blades strapped to ankles
and an arsenal of firearms
lining your inner pockets

forget the wars a half a world
away the one right here
is about to steal your freedom
unless you get off
your lazy ass and figure out
how to save yourself
before you’re blown away


january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
01 Jan 2013
7 Comments

pilgrimage


for centuries the survivors
of the forgotten world
journeyed to the ancient city
to marvel at the concrete
and glass that once gave rise
to an infallible dream

unable to imagine
such destructive forces
the children picked wildflowers
growing from the ash
waving them in the air
pretending to surrender



january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in In the City, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , ,
10 Dec 2012
2 Comments

fertility


after the lights went out
and the snow plows were grounded
the people took their arms
and left for the country
to find fuel for the fire

a decade later and a
generation forsaken
all the little girls turned into mothers
sooner than anyone
could ever have imagined


december two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , ,
14 Nov 2012
4 Comments

lost paradise


sit beside me my child
and listen to my story
where all the people
of the elusive valley
live in harmony
and die in peace

sadness beheld
my child’s eyes
as she cried in disbelief
certain my story
of the elusive valley
had been blown
to smithereens


november two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , ,
04 Nov 2012
4 Comments

rewind


promises of glory
took you away from me
leaving me helpless
and grasping for understanding
exactly what went wrong

i sit in my chair and recall the days
watching you kill mercilessly
on the television screen
watching your back
aiding and abetting your safety
from the mindless enemy

those games now collect dust
as i wander through the house
murmuring to myself
for my stupidity


november two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
23 Sep 2012
2 Comments

the machine


he consumed destruction
like it was sweet nectar
went on fifty year binges waging war
like there was no tomorrow
getting high on chaos
before receding into isolation
recuperating and retooling
just to do it all over again

if only his creator had programmed
his instincts differently
reigning in his selfish ways
of wasting resources
and repeatedly recessing
he could have produced
timeless masterpieces
that inspired a lasting peace


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , ,
08 Sep 2012
3 Comments

a promise enlisted


i gave you my promise
and you ran with it
all the way across the country
where you boarded a ship
destination i don’t know

you tried saving the planet
with my promise
attached to you at all times
like it was part of the dog tags
hanging from your neck

by the time they shipped you
back to the states
the promise had expired
lost to the heavens
awaiting for me there


september two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , , , ,
23 Aug 2012
2 Comments

a world goes round


gravitational forces
make the world go round
geometrically perfect
and mathematically sound
innocently conceived
of violent explosions

woe are the children
born into a whirlwind
of poverty and starvation
whose land neither spins
nor revolves with beauty
or compassion or truth

sad is the soldier
dying in a battlefield
dark clouds circling above
the beauty of the world
just a passing idea
taught in a classroom

man and his machines
compete for dominance
racing across the skies
and testing mother nature
with all the tangible wealth
this blue jewel can muster



august two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
27 Jul 2012

fooled again


drums bang slowly into the night
keeping time with toy soldiers
marching through the streets
enforcing a curfew imposed
by the new boss promising
freedoms this world has yet to know




july two thousand twelve
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
21 Jul 2012

toy soldier


how old can you be before understanding
who you are? is there an hour if missed
makes it undefined? or does the inner self
turn back time and take you to a place
where you just started to breathe?

what event is truly more life-changing
than whatever happens today?
and what happens if someone today
stands in your way?
do you just mow them down?



may two thousand seven
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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