lessons from life

we learn from the pain
such are the lessons from life
always, starting fresh

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

collision

slim lines are mangled
beauty lays down on asphalt
quiet are their screams

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

what we found

now I'm walking in the sunshine
my feet don't touch the ground
I'm yelling at the stars above
'bout everything we've found

you whisper words I long to hear
but those that hold me close
those that know my secrets
see I'm basking in this glow

so baby take my hand
lead me gently down this path
lay me down on denim sheets
let neither of us look back

building on this love we found
the symmetry is so strong
everyone can read the signs
hear the music of our song


now I'm walking in the sunshine
my feet don't touch the ground
I'm yelling at the stars above
'bout everything we've found
 

so baby take my hand
lead me gently down this path
lay me down on denim sheets
let neither of us look back

sleep walking

staring into open dreams
heights of passion
bottom of despair
you are never far away
in every mentation and every prayer

thoughts that plague when I'm awake
memories that fill my working day
sleep walking in the daylight hours
into the nights filled with desire
while you hold my heart prisoner

but in the darkness as I slip
into dreams and into your arms
there I always find your love
fan blades cooling passion's ardor
where at last love is complete

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

thirst

the sun beats down on this hot desert day
I'm thirsting for something
I can't quite taste
an azure sky, no chance of relief
I've figured it out
I know just what I need

I need an oasis
I need to be quenched
I need a monsoon
that will thoroughly drench
I need your passion
an overflowing trench

I'm thirsting for love
I'm thirsting for you

my heart is pounding, feeling an ache
a mournful sound that resonates
crying out for some respite
rain on me baby, shower my life
but clouds aren't forming
in my arid desert sky

the water lays buried, deep underground
I keep digging deeper
there is none to be found
some day baby, this river will run free
and what I'm thirsting for
will assuage my needs

I need an oasis
I need to be quenched
I need a monsoon
that will thoroughly drench
I need your passion
an overflowing trench

I'm thirsting for love
I'm thirsting for you

let me swim in your passion
as you quench my one desire
dive in deep
let the water get higher
rain on me baby
let your river flow free
drench me, immerse me, saturate my needs
let it flow all around, surround and
through me

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

Kiss Of Deception

The kiss was of passion
Desire, hot and strong
Staying in my memory
Long after we were done

We talked of many things
Long into the night
Holding and caressing
Exploring new delight

And then when we parted
I thought nothing had changed
Our hearts did seem bound
For something long range

But a kiss of deception
Still holds a lie
And the abruptness of the ending
Is killing me inside

A kiss of betrayal
The bond came unwound
The last kiss received
Was one that let me down

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Don Juan

One false move is all it takes
Careful what you undertake
It could be a big mistake
Suffer another true heartbreak

Learn the secret to the heart
Endure the many attempted starts
Leaving a taste that’s bitter and tart
Often times it will tear you apart

Wearing your heart upon your sleeve
Is it getting you what you need?
Or is this why your heart does bleed?
While you make your slow retreat

Pull it together, just go on
Realizing you are not the pawn
Reinvent now, don’t withdraw
While waiting for the next Don Juan

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

You & I

When the rainbow appears
After the storm passes by

When the final note is played
After the last verse is sung

When the amen comes
At the end of the prayer

When the snow thaws away
And the flowers reappear

When the fog rolls away
And the warm sun shines

When your soul finally heals
 There will be you and I

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

No Redemption

He goes in for liquor
Other shoppers pull away
He knows he is dirty
From begging all day

He uses the cash
From the hot day's work
Not for food or necessities
But to buy a few quarts

He hates what he is
The way his life died
All that he’d dreamed of
And all of his pride

He’d lost it all
For all that he cared
A family and position
A life he revered

It didn’t take long
For it to evaporate
He could barely remember
When his life was not gray

So he takes the full bottles
And heads to the shelter
Another bed not his own
In this life’s helter skelter

He drinks the first bottle
So that he can sleep
To block out the memories
That plague him so deep

He knows not redemption
He has spiraled too far down
As he tosses the empty
Opens the second with a frown

He walks into the refuge
With the others, same as he
All outcasts and lonely
And with unanswered pleas

He thinks of his family
And has one last prayer
To look after and protect them
Since he is not there

He closes his eyes
For dreams that won’t come
From a life of devastation
A life that is numb

In the early dawn hours
The priest says a prayer
For the homeless, cold body
That is left laying there

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

gathering speed

I check your progress, you're gathering speed
trying real hard to overtake me
I've been there before--won't slow down
my smile turns quickly, to a frown

you had your chance and blew it bud
don't come here and fire more scuds
the light in the tunnel is growing dim
I don't care if you sink or swim

never a leader, although you tried
with a quick smile--wink of an eye
I saw through the shroud of fear
waiting and watching when you appeared

self confidence withers and finally dies
storm clouds form in the blue sky
talk to my back, my ears won't listen
these are lips you won't be kissin'

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

No Recovery

When the only thing that’s left
Is coldness and no love
There’s no way you can change it
No band aid big enough

When the only thing that’s left
Is bitterness and pride
You’re both tired of trying
And all the love has died

When the only thing that’s left
Is fighting, bad feelings and spite
No going back, no recovery
A relationship not right

Then the only thing that is left
Is to move forward and cry
Wish each other well
Get on with your life

Super hero

your super hero shield doesn't work
I got through didn't I?
though small that I am
I left an impression
you will think of me once in awhile
and smile or not
you will remember I was there

because I was!

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Beguiled

Lying in the darkness
Just before dawn’s light
Watching you there sleeping
Memorizing the sight

The way your mouth is curving
In a half moon smile
Pulling at my heart strings
Leaving me beguiled

Turning over towards me
You feel for where I lay
Wrap your arms around me
Let’s stay here all day

It is these special moments
That all seems good and right
In these early moments
Just before dawn's light

no goodbye

there is no goodbye
no, till next time
or see you soon
not a sentiment
expressed in any way
which cuts me deep
and wounds my heart
a slight that hurts
like a betrayal
of my emotions
felt by one
and one alone

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Conquest

The conquest didn’t take that long
Your mark’s defenses down
Wanting an adventure
A heart that was unbound

You started with flirtation
Her heart then starts to follow
Spinning her direction
A rogue in a knight’s armor

Unabashed you turn her head
And swoop in for the kill
She’ll never know what hit her
She’s given up all will

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Inner Peace

The sun sets slowly to the west
My home is far away
The dusk comes gently to the beach
An end to another day

Walking on the desolate sand
The sea now gently rolls
The tide far out, leaving shells and pools
And calmness for my soul

A time of deep reflection
My thoughts come fast and clean
Whenever I am here the sea
has this affect on me

Chart a new course for my life
Direction easy and true
Answers for my questions
That I’m able to think through

A full moon rises over the sea
As stars light up the night
the sea, the beach, the calmness
Will stay here inside of me

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Things I Couldn't Say

there are things I couldn't tell you
when we sat and talked that day
although we talked for hours
'bout what was goin' on
there were things I couldn't say

then was not the time to express the way I feel
timing wasn't perfect for what I needed to tell
now the chance may never come around
but I hope someday it will
there were things I couldn't say

so I keep it all bottled up inside
may have to take it with me, on the day I die
I hope I get just one more chance
to confess it all to you
the things I want to say

the things I need to say

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

inside

in the depths of your smile
I see happiness and joy
in the twinkle of your eyes
I see promise and fun
inside your soul
I see sincerity and safety
inside your heart
I see all need

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

Life In The Fast Lane

Living in the fast lane
No time to slow down
I like it crazy

Always moving quickly
I push the envelope
Not going to change

Making decisions on the cuff
Always works out right
I am lucky

Got to keep it rolling
Don’t want to change
You need to keep up

Roll with the changes
Change is good
At least for me!

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

I thought I knew you

your thoughts and feelings
but the feelings aren’t for me
erroneous slip

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Let Me

In our very special place
You give your love to me
Shaking the very core of my existence

The way you touch me
Mind, body, soul
Fortifies me

The way you know what I need
Is miraculous and astounding
You amaze me

Let me do these things for you
Let me complete you
As you complete me

about me

some would say that I'm aloof
remaining silently detached
some things I've said
or things I've done
I wish I could retract

lightning blazes across dark sky
silver linings sometime fray
thunder shakes the atmosphere
before it starts a drenching rain

they follow me on facebook
on twitter they subscribe
they read my every thought and word
to see what's on my mind

poetry that often flows
bitter are some lines
haiku express with shorten verbs
of  other fun filled times

I used to read into every verse
looking for mentions of me
I should have known indifference
would cause the wounds to bleed

follow me in confusion
I know the only truth
what I pen, beginning to end
is more about me than you

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

retreat

too blind to see the obvious facts
as I push them all into my backpack
without a look or sideways glance
I move forward, away from this dance

painfully putting them all away
burying deep, this time to stay
no more hoping, wishes foreign
from this heart now tattered and torn

around the corner, down the street
you head forward, there's no retreat
sensing moods now gray and dark
those splintered words
that breach your heart
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

shooting star

saw a shooting star
burning bright in the night sky
too quick for a wish

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Not Trying

I’m not trying to take you
Where you don’t want to go
Not trying to make you feel
Something you don’t

I’m not trying to confuse
The thoughts in your mind
My feelings not a puzzle
They are clear and defined

I’m not trying to sway
Your heart towards me
When you’ve already said
We can never be

I’m not trying to move you
To a future where there’s none
But if you looked deeply
You’ll see there is one

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Things

Laying by the ocean
Sands so smooth and white
Staring at a cloudless sky
Contemplating life

Thinking of the things I’ve said
And things I left undone
Things I should have started
Things to be begun

Maybe I’ll just stay here
Resting on the shore
Just let life care for itself
No worries anymore

Truth

I looked into your blue eyes
To see if there was truth
To see the way you really feel
To understand your mood

You veiled your eyes to shield me
Thought that I wouldn’t see
What you were about to tell me
Was not how it should be

Trying to protect me
Though you will break me heart
Telling me what I want to hear
Instead of tearing me apart

Your blue eyes can not save me
From what we know is true
That maybe we weren’t meant to be
And I am not for you

So just go on pretending
Covering up the lies
Hoping I won’t see it
The lie in your blue eyes

stories

tell me a story
you say with a grin
I'm making one up
as you settle in
no interruptions
not one word from you
and a duck and a car
is what soon imbrues
you smile your smile
and never once stir
now tell me another
and again I concur
two or three stories
your eyes start to close
your head on my shoulder
as you quietly dose
holding you tightly
my heart filled with joy
at the pleasures I'm sharing
with this little boy

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

Brilliant Disguise

My brilliant disguise
What I want you to see
Only that

I can’t show you everything
There is too much
Hidden away

Take what I show you
Love me for that
Nothing else

nothing left

for everything you’ve given
you’ve take twice as much
always about you

worn down and tired
of trying to give you all
I have nothing left

the tears have dried
there are no more to cry
finally

I need to step up
take control of my heart
block you from my mind

someday you will see
that you lost a lot
when you lost me

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Things We Take For Granted

Waking up each morning

A cool breeze on a warm day

The warm sun after weeks of cold weather

A night sky full of stars

The kindness of stangers

An excellent bottle of wine

Really good coffee in the morning

Waking up next to someone you love

A child's laughter

Each other

Our children and our children's children

Love

The future

Life

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Luck

However did you find me?
A stoke of just pure luck
You knew I needed finding
It was that note you struck

You took the room required
There was a lot of space
Not much rearranging
Just holes that were replaced

You knew the things I wanted
You gave with an open heart
Not much effort needed
You saw that from the start

You grace my life with loving
The strength and peace I require
You ask for nothing in return
It’s me that you desire

You put me back together
Restored all that was lost
Gave me back my blue sky
With each new day that dawns

No matter how you found me
Thanks for all you gave
Rendering a life renewed
A heart that needed saved

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

the valley

The valley was not always green like the name implied. During the hot summer months and in between the months of monsoon, my soul would dry and crack like the deep desert washes that surrounded the small little town.MJB

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

garbage

I've got it all together
that's the way it seems
inside my shoe
my sock slips down
and it is bugging me
I just grin and bare it
no one will ever know
when I get home
they're coming off
and in the garbage they go

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

days pass

as I pass by
I smell the fragrant odor
from the glass vase

different hues
some bright, some pale
leaves of the darkest green

but the days pass
the colors fade
and the blossoms fall

and now they are dead
petals on the table
wilted and brown

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Best Time Of The Day

In the stillness of the evening
Quiet and serene
Sitting on my patio
Enjoying this peaceful scene

We talk about the trivial things
Over a glass of wine
Nothing important or pressing
Nothing crucial on our minds

This is the best time of the day
We share it just us two
Lost in our surroundings
A love that’s strong and true

Loving, peaceful moments
Moments that we share
Savoring the best in life
All because you are here

Long Past

A beauty in her younger years
But that has started to fade
The strife and pain of long ago
Written across her face

Fingers bent and painful
Hands with lines and veins
From years of tending those she loved
Scars are all that remain

The days have not been kind to her
Each decade beat her down
Those she loved have left her
None are left around

Waking up each morning
Each longer as she ages
Loneliness surrounds her
Unexpected in this phase

Remembering how it used to be
Longing for the days long past
When she loved and it was returned
Something she can’t get back

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Darkness Lifts

When the darkness lifts
that surrounds my soul
and the light shines on me

When the heavens send
a cleansing rain
to wash my soul clean

When the fog dissipates
from the warmth of the sun
and I am again restored

Only then can I finally move on
leaving this broken spirit
and broken heart behind me

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.