what seems obvious

a new chapter starts in both books
the pages blank; pens hovering
what I've learned from you:
tread more cautiously
don't trust so easily
look for hidden agendas

my path looks unobstructed
debris in high piles to the side
but I will not take at face-value
what seems obvious
that much I have learned

what did I leave you with?
was there anything?
we talk of you, no questions of me
you box what you can carry
checking what's left for free

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

just one

frost forms thick on all around
my feet crunch on frozen ground
and what I've known for oh, so long
thaws and drips with morning sun

the wide open space now closes in
fenced and barbed like old Berlin
my mind skates on ice that's thin
what once was won't come again

in the mountains where wild things prowl
packs of coyotes with their low growl
for miles I can see the here and now
and our love there that now goes south

pictures painted in darkest hues
times we spent, just me and you
monsoons came and drenched the sky's blue
leaving just one when it was through

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

what if

what if the mountains aren't high enough?
or the sages don't give you pleasure?
what if the heat is hotter than you thought
and the valley no longer holds treasure?

what if your dreams are not all they seemed
nightmares plague when you try to sleep?
what if your plan gets way out of hand
or your heart falls in way too deep?

what if your mind loses control
of all these things that you pondered?
what if your loss has too high a cost
as your soul deserts you and wanders?

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

a better way

was there a better way to say it
then turning and walking out the door
it's not the way either of us planned it
love doesn't live here anymore

I remember that day when we first met
that look in your eye when you first saw me
the look long gone as well as our song
and there's someplace else you'd rather be

spring fades to summer like my favorite jeans
summer faded quickly into the fall
come the monsoons, with lightning and thunder
by winter there's nothing left at all

there had to be a better way to say it
maybe with a kiss and one last lie
a better way of ending, without pretending
a better way of saying good-bye

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

rainy skies

you dot the i's and cross the t's
on all that once meant much to me
it lies in tatters on the floor
so I don't go there anymore

what we built now falls apart
too many splinters in my heart
I know the reasons and the whys
they stretch across the now dark sky

torn to pieces what we knew
under rainy skies and crescent moons
a red umbrella that now leaks
drenched I wait for small relief

pack your bag and mount your horse
little waits for battled remorse
a tourniquet will stop the flow
the dam breaks on the valley below

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

all because of you

all of the bricks that formed the wall
I count each one as they do fall
some knew little about me at all
one of them was you

thoughts I savored in my mind
footsteps leaving that behind
how could I have been so blind
when I dreamed of you

each nuance; every little trace
as each tear fell down my face
leaving something to be replaced
it was all about you

and now it all disappears
all of the hopes and all of the fears
freedom comes after all of these years
all because of you

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

kismet

I would have waited till the cows came home
slowly, they graze in their pasture
but time has a way of hurrying by
when you don't know what you are after

I'm going through the boxes now
and discarding what I don't need
shredding things, old memories
that once caused me to bleed

I don't know what's around the corner
kismet has always eluded me
what the magician has in his bag of tricks
has shaken all of my beliefs

I would have waited till the cows came home
slowly, they graze in their pasture
but time has a way of hurrying by
when you don't know what you are after

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

I've discovered

I've discovered I'm still an insomniac
and that most nights I don't dream
I've discovered that my morning coffee
without you still tastes the same
I've discovered my cell phone battery
lasts longer than it ever used to
I've discovered that the moon still rises
and most days the sky is still blue
I've discovered that once my mind
has swept away all of the debris
I've discovered life goes on
with or without you in it

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

it will all work out

I believe stars keep shining, but are sometimes hidden by clouds
I believe there's someone for everyone, just keep searching the crowds
I believe that somehow we'll find the right path
I believe it gets easier, if I can quit looking back

I believe that love and passion can walk side by side
I believe that someday it will all be justified
I believe that loving is something to be shared
I believe that someday, I'll look and you'll be there

I believe there's an answer waiting at the end of a prayer
I believe in angels that float up in the air
I believe that you and I somehow lost our way.
I believe that someway, it will all work out ok

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

last stand

the only light from a crescent moon
darkness covers what used to be
what I once wanted slips away
a truer heart has now found me

silence grows like a young tree
roots far north in desert sand
what I had has shriveled and died
as you make your one last stand

comparison was what you sought
curiosity made you look
lustfully you took a chance
then closed the chapter on that book

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

flickers

in the shadows the candle flickers
the light is then snuffed out
I realize, what I thought was true
is casting serious doubt

how do we get back to where
the playing board is even
without the hope of trust and love
thinking is not believing

with time comes rust and corrosion
there may be no way back
what I gave that was pure and true
I find you thought it was lacking

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

fools gold

thoughts worthy of fools
some lessons remain unlearned
fools gold doesn't shine

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

a little piece

it's just a little piece of memory I'm trying to relieve
way back when the path was uncluttered--the sky, cobalt blue
when the stars glowed in the sky, underneath a crescent moon
a little piece of yesterday, that little piece of you

it's just a little piece of heartbreak that I try to bury
along with golden fantasy, a dreamworld lives in memory
when all the doors were open and the dance was still brand new
it lays face down on the saloon floor waiting for a revelry

it's just a little piece of me wanting just a little piece of you
to keep me as a treasure and cherish what we knew
it's a thin line that intersects, a shred of honest truth
it's just that piece of me knowing what never will be soon

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

where the sidewalk ends

where the sidewalk ends
is where the going gets tough
and we finally discover
what we're really made of
that's where the weeds
that sprout in the road
can hide the way
that we need to go

we struggle with life
juggle the strife
search for direction
in the worst conditions
pray for the light
to see us through the night
try to right the wrongs
to keep us moving on

there aren't any maps
or GPS satellites
there aren't signs
warning of dangerous plights
even if we saw them
is that the path we'd take?
lessons make us who we are
helping us bend not break

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

a miracle

super glue isn't super enough
masking tape just won't mask
duct tape isn't strong enough
for the quake that caused these cracks

nothing can hold it together
the crevices are too deep
no wonders of modern science
a miracle adhesive is what I need

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

I knew

deep down that your moon would always be crescent
that there was a lack of light that I needed
that wood, when dry, splinters
that a house of cards is
weak

I know…
that a full moon offers all the light I need
that I can see forever from this place in time
that wood, when wet, swells
that a house made of bricks is
firm

I offer
not recriminations…

you gave what you could
without giving of yourself
you knew lust without love
and I, heartache from disparity

the red flag warning came too late
the holes too big to keep me afloat
not a good swimmer, I drifted on my back
till love threw me a preserver

really?

a very small dose
what you think will soothe me most
you still don't know me

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

come closer

come closer to my fire
let me warm you
like a moth to a flame
let me entice
for a little while
let your mind rest
let your body relax
let everything else go
to another place
when you first saw my face
that deep embrace
that forgotten taste

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

another time

you hold me, once more,
in a way neither will forget
the last rays of afternoon
shining in on us
we talk of little things
unimportant to us now
leaving the heavy stuff
outside the door
along with all that once meant
swept under the welcome mat of
another time

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

the thunder rolls

thunder rolls in the distance
lightning zigzags in the evening sky
soon rain will beat down in torrents
from the low clouds on the horizon

baby, come kiss and embrace me
let's make love as we ride out this storm
let all of this mounting passion
match the energy going on outdoors

let's light a couple of candles
and dance in their flickering light
while you whisper to me a sweet love song
and the storm blows out in the night

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

elusive

the rain pours on me
the sun elusive most days
no rainbow shines through

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

shell marker

solitude and celestial light
reflections of most recent strife
I bury in sand with a shell marker
leave it there in shallow, salty water

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

neon lights

nowhere in the neon lights
does it say hold on for your dear life
we grab the bridle and dig our heels in
bouncing around as it kicks and spins

you sit in the diner--it's near midnight
you can see the damnedest sights
stirring your coffee trying not to stare
at what's in here or hiding out there

we can never quite let go
holding on till hell freezes over
witticism only takes you so far
miles roll fast when you're in your car

the bitter tolls and burdens of sins
the fences we build that keep us in
begging to be misunderstood
as you turn your back and leave for good

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

ghost card

you hold one in your heart
keeping one on a string
you feed one half-truths
the other knows things

what little they know
what you think they believe
you hide it so well
your character, it seems

as you dance with them both
a large shadow you leave
and the love that you share
is framed with deceit

look in the mirror
a reflection that's black
a love based on lies
will eventually crack

when you look at her photo
love coursing through your veins
remember what you said
the ghost card remains

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

inside the frame

in my thoughts where daylight dances
with my hopes and some missed chances
in this dream of scented surrender
lavender ideas, honey embers

the camera lens captures it all
reconnecting large and small
it falls in place inside the frame
ashes float from burning flames

I will sing this song of when
lyrics written of all there in
on this sheet the words bleed red
bonding us with crimson thread

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

Annie Oakley

a little girl with braids a-flyin
a stick pony without a head
righting the wrongs of childhood
when others didn't play along

I rope my brother, tie him down
make him the bad guy, make him frown
he's not that happy, playin my game
Annie Oakley, runs away
before he can tell mom

I grew up, put Annie aside
forgot about her for a very long time
now that I go to the range and shoot
Annie has returned
once again to right the wrongs
Annie has returned

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

third degree burn

sunglasses protect deep green eyes
Aer Lingus cap shades a fair, Irish nose
SPF 50, slathered generously, for my skin
warding off the sun’s bright, harmful rays

my heart, protected by the strong bones of the chest wall,
layers of dermis, and by my swimsuit top
survives not so well, and   
blisters with a third degree burn

silent shore

on this silent shore
I stand at the edge of you
making these dreams of you real
can I push you over the edge?
did I push it over the end?
how much time can I spend?
I keep returning, back for more
I find you waiting at my heart's door
far inside your walls, I call
how much time can I spend?
till I've pushed love over the end



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

what remains

we find faith in what is true
the way things always change
keeping all from what remains
and part like two old friends

it will be like time stood still
if the trail should carry us back
meeting again after time has passed
a friendship with solid footing

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

in between

there's a song that I hear
lyrics stuck in my soul
playing over and over
I don't know all the words
but I do know the tune
I guess I'll learn them as I go

it's a song about chance
of buried hopes and dreams
of mountain sun and evening rain
a song about love, living, dying
about all that falls in between

right now I hum it in my head
memorizing, harmonizing
a constant white noise that drives me
I don't know all the words
but I do know the tune
yet, there is no singer here

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

molecular cohesion

I waited, long, for your sweet song
you seem to be where I belong
or is it an illusion

come from my dreams into loving arms
fall seductive, to my charms
love's molecular cohesion

don't let it be our time has passed
a fantasy that burned too fast
a hazy apparition

I wait to follow
fill the hollow
two heart's conversation

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

snap

I lay it down
echoes cross the line
addressing things
you thought were fine
the connection snaps
I can't go back
only forward
it is too late
what you created
is heavily weighted
the dam breaks
heartache pouring over
drowning what was left

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

treasure

yesterday's treasure, soon forgotten
packed away in a minuscule box
not as faceted as once thought
on a shelf now gathering dust
another trinket now misplaced
sparkling less as it all fades

memories that once meant much
now that need has long since gone
wipe away the cobwebbed songs
forgotten lines and sing song tunes
all I ever thought of you
shattered shades of dark dark blue

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

double-edged words

wielding, slashing releasing my wrath
rhyming prose my double-edged hack
releasing all this pent-up anger
directed at my own weaknesses

berating, lambasting where it seethes
even though I saw, I failed to see
with every withdrawal and your repose
a shield you use that causes my blows

the sweetest gift you could have left
this one I use to pen and reflect
the only one who has let me down
is the one in the mirror staring back

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

dreams

she wove the clouds into a gossamer lace
trapping her love there forever
tending, rendering all of her heart
to one whose thoughts were barren

sighing, crying, realizing
that it was not to be
erasing, debasing what once was
she set her lover free
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

AWOL (absent without love)

"He went over the hill, Sergeant."
"Are you sure, did you search the barracks?"
"Yes, only personal possessions are missing.
Photographs, cd's...that kind of stuff."
"File the reports, Private."
"I was so sure this one had the right stuff,
Sergeant, and would go the distance."
"There is no such thing, as a sure thing.
You should know that by now!"
"What should I do with what is left?"
"Box it and trash it. Anything left behind will not be missed"

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

once

once, from high in the mountains
your song rained down on me
drops splattering my soul

I got lost in the fantasy, thoughts
of you tied with fragile spun dreams
bound by the depth of your love

unlacing the ribbon, you look within
with tenderness, you take my heart
uniting it with yours

now, this love blooms, flowers strewn
nourished by the rain and sun
in the valley inside

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

Worry

It serves no purpose
Helps not my thought
Wondering  about resolve
All the while,
My stomach in knots
What will be; is
 
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

addiction

and so it begins....
my withdrawal from an addiction
that causes so much pain,
frustration and confusion
as I bounce off
of these barbed-wire walls
I know I am strong enough
to finally break free

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

amber ambiguity

in amber ambiguity
how sweetly it unravels
till there is nothing left behind
just the weeded path I traveled

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

befuddled

in the middle it all muddles
like warm milk that is curdled
once it cuddled all soft and swaddled
no longer a rhyme, no, more a riddle
a heart that somehow becomes rattled
a canoe adrift without the paddles
a bucking horse without a saddle
a losing team that needs a huddle
in the midst a great big puddle
seems it was always a losing battle
it just moans with its death rattle
all of this leaving me befuddled

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

addendum

I had forgotten...
the sweet smells
lilacs in full bloom
freshly mowed grass
tulips and roses in bloom
springtime in the Midwest
the smells of childhood return
and the comforts I had left behind

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