reasons

five hundred reasons
with four changes of seasons
can you weather more?

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

the ways you know me

all the ways you know me
and the ways that you are learning
when your hands and heart can soothe me
and stop this endless yearning
nothing I wanted more, as you step across
this welcome mat at my heart's door

as I wandered through the desert
as I looked and learned the dark
as I traveled endless trails
to find you where you are
as I stood in liquid silver
that drenched but did not quench
as I danced with faceless longing
to songs that ended too quick

all the ways you know me
and the ways that you are learning
when your hands and heart can soothe me
and stop this endless yearning
when love can be a heartache
when time moved on too slow
when that all becomes history
what I feel now
what I now know

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

open door

love left an open door
to let the breeze blow through
days of rain and darkest nights
my dreams are coming true
I find what I am looking for
what once I thought was gone
all I see reflected
what I hear in your sweet song
sing to me a ballad
of all it is you feel
dance with me a long slow dance
so I know it is real
what grows in my heart
after days of endless storms
this love that I now feel
when I wake in your arms

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

little things

it's the little things you offer
things that money can't buy
messages throughout my day
keeps my energy high
a flower in the morning
a sunset late at night
even when you're not near me
you light up my life

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

circle

like a circle, round and round
no beginning and no end
arcs that meet, connected and true
what begins and what ends with you

tracing over and over again
deeper and deeper with my pen
pressing harder as I draw
imprinting me inside of you

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

smooth

I swallow the concoction
my heart seemed quickly soothed
a little truth mixed with the lies
made it taste so smooth

ambrosia to my waiting tongue
with bibulous afterglow
predilection quickly sets
blurring all that I know

heartburn overtakes me
like the waves of the Black Sea
what echoes in this chamber
may never set me free

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

play it to the bone

you play it to the bone
all ends against the middle
while you are laying back
we dance to your fiddle
always a new song
lyrics unrecorded
as you write each verse
all the words distorted

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

gold standard

my gold standard dips
monetary units fall
what was once extravagance
is worth little at all
inflation reigns
the black market profits
blood diamonds mined in Africa
trade high on the market
as I slip into poverty
my portfolio crashes
you are living in luxury
made rich on advances

prices plummet at the pump
oil, by the barrel, left to rot
you can fill up with nowhere to go
things we have left worth little or not
stuff you don't need, but still you take
hording, stockpiling all that is left
sitting in the corner of an empty room
you call it want, others call it theft
a race to the finish line
for what is to be
I guess we'll just wait
and eventually see

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

The Right Way

It is the sounds of the morning
Garbage truck, school bus, birds
And you, snoring softly
Wanting those few extra minutes

I watch you, early in the morning
Covers askew, hair messed, peaceful
Wanting to stay here all day
Without the tension and stress that work brings

Rolling over you wrap yourself around me
Covering my neck and face with kisses
Hugging me with your arms and legs
Surrounding me with your love

Soon the coffee maker will start
The alarm will go off
The paper will hit the front porch
Neighbors will start for work

But you and I will stay here
A little while longer
Hold the routines off for awhile
To start our day the right way

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

illogical

when you are tired
and your mind is weak
the one you are with
is not the one you seek
something missing still
your life is not complete
answers do not come
angels do not speak

when you feel used up
from all that's coming down
illogical ideas from
thoughts that spin around
there is no protection
just incoherent sounds
your angel bows her head
as you're about to drown

you hear a lot of noise
but you can't read the words
the movie keeps on changing
your screams aren't to be heard
destroying all you've built
it is all just too absurd
your angel turned her back
because of what's occurred

when you make a decision
after all this time
you keep slipping backwards
down the rungs you climbed
and it's never poetry
because it doesn't all rhyme
your angel starts to laugh
cause the lyrics sing your crimes

when the answer finally comes
but it's way too late
ice is getting thin
and you still try to skate
you break another heart
in your hurry to escape
this is nothing new
you're told it's just a trait
your angel shrugs her wings
cause you know she can relate

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

as sure

as sure as the lightning flash
before the monsoon starts
as sure as the thunder crack
that follows that above
as sure as the tide flows in
after it has ebbed
as sure as the love you bestow
without question or remiss

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

homeless

homeless, my dreams
wander the street
sleeping in a cardboard box
chilled from the cold
and rumbling hunger
longing for more
hoping for shelter
love that will
take them in

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

I thought

I thought I saw myself
in the words you compose
but it was very vague
a shadow on a page

I thought I saw myself
in that look that you gave
there for just a flash
from your memory cache

I thought I saw myself
in the song that you sang
but it wasn't very clear
if I was ever even there

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

silence

I thought it could be special
the way it started
a beginning in my mind
that somehow got messed up
not saying enough
but saying too much
volumes spoken in silence
not enough questions asked
not enough feelings shared
when the door closed
my heart left on the other side

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

endless wire

a simple melody
you sing sweet and low
songs of hope and promise
as day to evening grows

a love that spans the distance
through miles of endless wire
close to me in spirit
a heart now set on fire

the music getting louder
as you are getting near
the lyrics you are writing
those that will bring you here

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

marks

one mark on the outside
the other lays within
you can read it in my eyes...
what my body verbalizes
but if you want to hear it,
if you want my lips to speak
the whisper that is in my heart
and coursing in all of me
then you will have to tell me--
tell me those three words
I can feel it and I can taste it...
but I won't say it first
never again will I say it first

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

midnight desire

I am passion and fire
your midnight desire
my kiss melting on your lips

heat churns from this tide
as slowly we ride
on this wild and frothy sea

delirium steals your soul
passion takes control
there is nothing that you can do

the moon blushes red
on tangled tresses that spread
across the coolness of satin sheets

at last lovers sleep
as the ceiling fan sweeps
the scent of heavenly perfume

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

lullaby

I found out
not long ago
wanting more
than I had known

Cupid's arrow
a direct hit
my heart stolen
with your kiss

I fall asleep
under starry skies
and hear your song
sweet lullaby

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

weariness

it's too early for birds to sing
sleep is evasive,
dreams nonexistent
I am bathed in darkness,
dressed in coldness
thoughts are heavy,
speeding down congested corridors
will it always be this way?
weariness plagues
my mind betrays
my heart weeps

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

sweet refrain

benign tries
campaign lies
empty sighs
hooded eyes

braided knots
dot to dot
colluded spots
fired shots

another lost
from the frost
marginal cost
aside its tossed

lyric remain
dreams in vain
a lover's game
sweet refrains

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

Unspoken Words

Unspoken words
Sometimes protect
Sometimes drive a wedge

Unspoken words
ones you can’t find
When you need them

Unspoken words
When you bite your tongue
To keep from hurting

Unspoken words
When finally spoken
Can not be pulled back, or forgotten

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

Wonderland

Blue skies almost everyday
Millions of stars at night
It’s beautiful here

A heart that’s true
Uncomplicated mind
Uncomplicated life

All my love to share
All my dreams, my life
All I have to give

Come share my wonderland

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

Touch Me

Touch me, in that way that only you can
Early in the morning when we have no plans

Touch me, in that way that only you know
Slowly, igniting my body and soul

Touch me, like no one else, ever
Make me feel this way forever

Touch me, show me how you feel
Show me what we have is real

Touch me, when you whisper the words
And as my passion begins to spur

Touch me, touch me, touch me
As only you can

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

haunted

the stillness of the night
plagues me, betrays me

the fire in my soul
scorches me, torches me

the aching of my heart
bleeds me, condemns me

my tattered spirit
depletes me, regresses me

the empty pillow
reminds me, haunts me

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

exclamation

When I was a little girl
Playing with dolls and siblings
Wanted to be Barbie because
She had Ken and all the cool stuff
An image for a perfect future

When I was a teen and my life expanded
Hanging with my friends at the Freeze
Weekends full of dances and dates
Driving a stick and sleeping in late
My future was an algebra equation

When I was in my twenties
Had the world by the tail
A golden time, everything shiny and new
Happy with life, family, you
My future was a dream

Those days are long past
I am at a crossroad with no clear sign
Sometimes feeling like a child again
Kiss the hurt mom, make it disappear
My future is a question mark

Can you give me what I need?
Can you be what I’m looking for?
Can you kiss the hurt and make it heal?
Can you erase the question mark?
Leaving instead an exclamation!

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

draw

is this how the story ends?
another tragic love affair
where everything right turns wrong
just another sad, sad song

I held on much too long
to a dream that didn't hold back
cupid shoots but is off with his aim
always a loser in every game

is this how the story ends?
the distance grows on either side
loving you was always hard
I guess we call the end a draw

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

strings

no strings that held you to me
nothing that tied you here
just the pounding of my heart
resonating in my ears

the circle that forms around you
I've now stepped away from
moving left of your center
out of your peripheral zone

that blood red line you drew
traced from a heart that seeped
a fortress to be rebuilt
as love makes it's retreat

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

all that is

I have finally reached that place
that eluded me in the past
I have climbed the mountains
fought my demons
released what wasn't
for all that now is

as you take my hand
walking with me side by side
beauty and grace shine down from above
serenity and love abound
in this place we walk...
this beautiful side of someday

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

opaque

opaque wonder
lighting and thunder
all because of you

questions of the heart
that always seem to start
whenever I’m with you

kindred spirits roam
distance, far from home
thinking about you

hide it all away
starting a new day
moving south of you

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

I loved him

beyond rhyme and reason
I loved him
not from the first second
that we met
but soon after
I tried hard
not to fall
but the feelings overtake
all thoughts
are of him
my heart
beating a song
of love
unrequited

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

a heart now free

there for you
here for me
on the level
it needs to be

going slow
an easy pace
there’s no hurry
no rat race

connecting hearts
a bond that grows
learning all
we need to know

there for you
here for me
a heart unlocked
a heart now free

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

Doubts (KRL)

You are in a different place
And you have a lot of doubts
Not the same place
Where you started out

Seven years passed
And they left their mark
The happiness fades
And you’ve lost your spark

Tried to work through
The stress and strife
Didn’t give up
On the fantasy life

But it all hits home
And what do you do?
Try to move on
Like I taught you

Pick yourself up
File it away
Living it all
Day to day

The sun will shine
Eventually you’ll see
That all that is left
Are just memories

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

castles

the castles I built
when I was young
diminished by tide
and setting suns

carefree youth
days long past
happy times
not meant to last

the child disappears
with the ebbing tide
leaving questions
fears that hide

a façade of strength
to get you through
most times not knowing
what to do

the hour glass
with sand now spilled
a jaded life
not what you willed

longing for youth
ever the child
building castles
in your mind

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

a jewel

adamant, and rare
dazzling, multifaceted
working out the flaws

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

Maze

My friends ask “how you doing”?
And I tell them that I’m fine
Although I’m a ship that’s sinking
Like the Titanic of past times

I smile and nod and say hello
Pretend that all is well
My life is now a big, black hole
With all my pain it’s filled

How do I snap out of this
A month of lonely days
Life’s not the same without you
My life is like a maze

No will to drive me forward
Hopeless, discouraged, bleak
And seeing you with your new girl
Really left me weak

You moved on so quickly
And I think - when will I
Don’t want to think about it
It just makes me cry

Please don’t worry about me
Someday I’ll move on
It’s just to soon to think right now
But I know you’re really gone

Empty

I’m wondering how
This all came to be
Was I a fool to think
That you once loved me?

Your actions seemed true
You said the right words
The whispers of promise
Was all that I heard

My spirit now shaky
My heart aches with pain
Empty without you
Nothing's the same

The tears won’t come
No more to be shed
Not looking anymore
For something that’s dead

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

Shelter From The Storm

Leave your cares and all the fears
Let me hold you, keep you near
In a place that’s safe and warm
I’ll be your shelter from the storm

In my arms you will be secure
Leaving things that are unsure
Your heart and soul will be transformed
I’ll be your shelter from the storm

Let me sooth your weary brow
Give you peace, what you need now
This is magic I can perform
I’ll be your shelter from the storm

Close your eyes and lay with me
I’ll be what you need me to be
Lay with me until the morn
I’ll be your shelter from the storm

I’ll watch over you as you dream
Dreaming of all the better things
In my arms you're safe and warm
I’ll be your shelter from the storm

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

bury the hope

touching down, getting off the plane
I am home but nothing's changed
feel the same as when I went
still don’t know just what it meant

questions remain, feelings too
no understanding of me and you
bury the hope, bury the pain
and anything else that still remains

carry on just like before
when you closed the revolving door
hide the truth from those that see
doing what's best for only me?

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

time

as youth and beauty slowly fade
a black and white reel from yesterday
the blossom falling from the flower
while the clock ticks away the lonely hours

all the innocence seeped away
painted with a brush that’s somewhat jaded
a mirror reflection of who we were
looking back a likeness blurred

the image not at all the same
deterred by the game as on it played
wondering where the good life went
now that we are old and spent

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

fightin the urge

you know that you want me
you keep tryin to fight the urge
but you’re thinkin all about it
I’m buried too deep to purge
we keep on comin back for more
we like it the way it is
you keep on toyin with me
we both keep playin with this
there are no set rules here
we play it as it comes
makin the connection
while we’re both on the run
it adds to the excitement
this innuendo is not boring
it just heightens the passion
that keeps my spirits soaring
I’m not askin for more
than you’re able to render
just let me know
if i am a contender

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

That Side Of Hell

There are secrets buried in darkness
Some things I’ve buried deep
Things that I’ve told no one
Things I have to keep

A cavernous place inside my soul
Where secrets try to swim to the top
But I can turn my mind off
When I need to make them stop

No one will I tell them to
With no one will I share
The abyss of fear and old ghosts
That haunts and causes despair

The façade I’ve built is very strong
Constructed with truth and light
So opaque that no one will see through
These thoughts that keep me up nights

I keep a lock on that dark place
Push it deep where it belongs
I’ve come to terms with that side of hell
Once I was able to move on

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

Desperado

An aimless desperado
A cowboy dressed in black
Leaving a trail behind you
And never looking back

Spurred on by inner longing
A drive that keeps you strong
No ties that you can cling to
When the night is long

Unforgiving days of desert heat
No water to quench your thirst
Nothing that will hold you
Till you exercise that curse

Searching, never finding
And still the trail leads on
A duel between the heart and mind
A fight that won’t be won

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

Flicker

Like the flickering of a candle
A fire that burns and glows
A passion that burns brightly
Lit by what you show

The warm stroke of your searching hands
Touching deeply, stirring me
Kisses long and lingering
As my fire you release

While the candle slowly burns
We reach the fervor pitch
Intense, extreme, nirvana
In this our special niche

After loving moments
When we drift off to sleep
Your arms wrapped around me
Your breathing slow and deep

Night will fade into the dawn
But we will stay this way
And start another morning
After this has been replayed

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

at one with the sea

i am at one with the sea
the warm sun tans my skin
and bleaches my hair golden

the ebbing tide taking away
despair and doubt, all to come
rushing back with the flow

solitary footsteps on the beach
reminding me that i am alone,
but calm and at peace

the waves wash over me
cleansing my soul
making me whole

if i could only stay here
forever, basking in the warmth,
the sea, serenity

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

Comfort

The comfort of things
That you love and you know
Deep there inside you
The heart's inner glow

The love that surrounds you
Your spirit it calms
The heart that you hold
That says you belong

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