addicted to the madness
shots fired in the tourist district a stampede in the streets just past midnight the eyes of children fearless & furious peer through casement windows though brighter than the morning light they dare not stare too long lest they go blind sirens & flashing lights & gunshots feet running & cars screaming confusion reigns & becomes supreme bodies pretend to sleep just past midnight the eyes of children fearless & furious regaining count of all the sheep refuge & solace sought after who will offer comfort in this chaos as if thrown into a make-believe mob they act without instruction moonshine barely noticeable spotting bullet casings just past midnight the eyes of children fearless & furious rewinding & replaying
https://jdubqca.com/ to find more poetry on J Matthew’s site.
Bio from 2019: J Matthew Waters was born in Rock Island, Illinois in 1961, and grew up across the Mississippi in Davenport, IA. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1984 with a B.A. in English. His first collection of poetry “Five Hundred Pieces,” was published in 1997. His second collection, “In the Middle of Somewhere,” was released as a Kindle edition in 2011. In 2013, he published “101 Chances,” in both Kindle and paperback editions. His latest collection entitled “Forty-Five Revolutions per Minute” was released in December, 2015. He currently resides in Cedar Rapids, IA where he works and plays and writes.
https://feversofthemind.com/2021/07/08/a-fevers-of-the-mind-quick-9-interview-with-j-matthew-waters/
Fevers of the Mind 