why would I thin out the lilies
when I can dig out & divide
the bulging bleeding hearts
along the fenceline
wildflowers don’t need
much of anything
save a little attention
in the end all survive the fall
the next property owner
at odds
as to where to start
march two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
what else is there to do than question
the degree of violence in society today
maybe we shouldn’t flatter ourselves
until we actually let loose the nukes
talk about depopulating the world
an ambitious goal somehow achieved
much sooner than previously imagined
at a cost much lower due to stagflation
and as economists rethink their stances
victorious warlords take on more land
july two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the fire burns
but does not warm
& I find myself
digressing past oblivion
that place where dreams
replace realistic scenes
ones you’ve not seen
since the start of the
previous season
it was a temporary life
these wildflowers
wrapping them in damp
breathable cloth &
transported with haste
a few precious petals
secured inside
heart-shaped boxes
all others transplanted
february two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I wish to be intimate with ideas
that have yet to materialize
brought on by a slight breeze
brushing against my cheek
and slightly opening my eyes
out of thin air they arrive
and mysteriously disappear
incomplete thoughts needing
nurturing and time to mature
like sporadic seeds in the air
I wonder how they’ll affect me
these intimately idyllic ideas
existing in the peripheral
occasionally testing my mettle
as if they know me better than me
june two thousand nineteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
where wildflowers bloom warm winds blow
turning rolling fields into motion pictures
on the brightest and fairest of days
round stones sink into dampened soil
concealed by grasses and barely breathing
undiscoverable come summer or fall
footprints aplenty but none of them human
the unreachable never dies
whether here or furthest place imaginable
may two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
on the most sorrowful day floral arrangements
accompany the winding road
as the birds of the field sing their joyful songs
nearby wildflowers weep and sway
newly clipped roses wrapped in paper produce
smiles once believed long gone
wherever a child is knee-deep in raw color
never let time pass away
april two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
for centuries the sloping hill
produced a bouquet of artistry
sewn into the grass
and handpicked by flower children
an annual blizzard blanketed
the hill and invited participants
to hasten up and down
using any means possible
as the city slowly crawled outward
leaving concrete in its wake
the sloping hill cried
shaking and moaning and hurting
the forward motion gradually
violated the internal integrity
of her existence
until one day without warning
she simply sailed away
january two thousand thirteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
jdubqca 