Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
https://mjb-lessonsfromlife.blogspot.com/ "Out of life's school of war: What does not destroy me, makes me stronger." Nietzsche
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
surrender
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
truth
if what I read held any truth
if it was about me
instead of about you
if it was less vague
the things I contemplate
if there were two
just me and you
then it would be worth the price
and I would spend it all
well deserved
you open the throttle and ride hard
miles of open highway
hitting the potholes with your heart
just when you think, that you
are running on empty
your soul finds me
the road becomes smooth
your path well signed
a rest stop, well deserved
Friday, August 27, 2021
quips
to the east, you read every word
to the north, not a peep is heard
in my heart a deficit
do I give more than I’ll ever get
on Facebook I leave zinging quips
on twitter, truth seeps from my lips
in between, there lives a gap
filled with lustrous, throaty gasps
in my prose I write with thought
sometimes loved, sometimes not
no music to the lyrics yet
write it soon ‘fore I forget
doubt
so many there before me
like rings inside a tree
each left a different taste behind
on your tongue and memory
how do I climb the ladder
that’s missing too many rungs?
how do I crawl inside the mind
where all the portraits are hung?
some have been deleted
but they left behind a trace
at night when you are sleeping
I can see them in your face
I dream of misconception
until the dawn’s fresh light
the sun shines on refreshment
a chance to get it right
trust lays on the coverlet
but it’s too hot to use
a sheet covers up a body
with one leg moving loose
I throw a log on the fire
lighting a candle so we can see
the shadows flickering slightly
on the wall in front of me
can I erase the legend
that all of them point out?
am I just another flavor
have you any doubts?
Thursday, August 26, 2021
hooked
tracing a line from inside to out
healing what was broken
knowing what was needed
and when
carefully, not applying
any pressure
biding your time
until that exact moment;
the very second I was hooked.
you reeled me in
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Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
aimless
not with Suri or any map
not that you were ever
any good at navigation
you seek it
thinking you will recognize it
when it hits you in the face
a collision of thoughts
what if you had it
and you let it escape?
wandering aimlessly from
saguaro to saguaro
blind as a bat
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Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
denial
I bit my tongue and tried
I waited for you to say it
but it gushed from deep inside
spilling out of places
I'd showed but
tried to hide
now you know the secret
it's too late to deny
you didn't turn and run
instead you fortified
everything I give you
is said, not just implied
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Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
Wednesday, August 25, 2021
shall we dance?
every space on every line
all reserved by you
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Consequence
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
A Star Haiku
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Addicted Haiku
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Monday, August 23, 2021
dust
I sneeze from all of the dust
I pulled things from the past
that were better left undisturbed
what can I say?
most think what one doesn't know
will not hurt you
I think the opposite is true
I would rather know all...
ask the questions...
put it to sleep...
now I lay awake each night
dream the nightmares when I sleep
wondering, wondering
ghosts of the past linger
a black apparition
slinking around my thoughts
I don't know
I don't remember
I don't think so
I thought I did
no resolution
the only feeling
they don't shine as bright
not like the ones we make today
what once meant something means nothing at all
I'd be lying if I said it didn't mean a thing
it'd be a sin to say it wasn't so
high above what once could have been
on a mountain cloud is where I drift
I'll take being with you a minute in time
over what fades in and out of my head
I'll take stars in your eyes over any moon phase
what we have now is the only place for me
today and tomorrow is what glows brightly
no shadows stretch across this feeling
loving and being loved by you
the only feeling I ever need
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
Sunday, August 22, 2021
Play It Safe
i'd rather be:
Saturday, August 21, 2021
baby, you've got my attention
not enough for me
Friday, August 20, 2021
the range
our picture
that day you were born
Thursday, August 19, 2021
footsteps
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
in it
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
so far
danger?
a new song
Tuesday, August 17, 2021
there were those
always wondering
if I should have waited
a full return; more is all I wanted
there were those who wouldn't understand
they couldn't be part of all my plans
wanting full flavor instead of
a half empty, savorless cup
I'm sorry if nothing I did was for you
stagnant nothing, what was I to do--except
search it out, hunt with reckless ardor
the trophy well worth my quest
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Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
exhausted
the flow charts not flowing
all workarounds exhausted
I tried everything to make you see
what was happening
but, as usual
it was all about you
waiting until
I slammed the door on you
not quick enough
to get your foot in
because...
you had to pull it
out of your mouth first
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Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
Monday, August 9, 2021
just thoughts
the sky with stars
the oceans with fish
the beach with sand
my heart with love
and yet...
I still need more examples
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
let's go (8/10/2021 - 8/16/2021 NM)
miles and miles of open road
and just you n me
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
accused
convicted of over reacting
guilty on both counts...
but one party always does
in any relationship
while the plaintiff's lackadaisicalness
allows them to sit back
participating only when
the defendant starts to retreat
offering a small gesture
of caring to keep them in their
velvet prison
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
Sunday, August 8, 2021
Magic!
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
not a princess
no kingdom by the sea
I gave up on fairy tales
or they gave up on me
the shoe was the wrong color
or it just did not fit
there was only one of them
that was the gist of it
my hair was never long enough
to drop from the ivory tower
my apples were not poisoned
to make me sleep for hours
I couldn't feel the pea
nestled under the covers
no, I'm not a princess
my outlook now is dour
not a knight upon a horse
did I see riding by
wishes filled my buckets
hope has all but died
are you out there somewhere?
my one and only that's true
inside are all my longings
as I wait here just for you
once I thought I found him
disingenuous was his game
cracks grew in the brick façade
it turned out just the same
with telescope I sit here
and look in all directions
for my one and only
happily ever after perfection
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
Saturday, August 7, 2021
whole
words unspoken
Friday, August 6, 2021
tumbleweed
I love you
before you
Thursday, August 5, 2021
The Valley
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
through my eyes
it’s not about just what makes sense
lyrics formed in proper tense
minced then spliced, poured into verse
this life that we are rehearsing
it’s not about who reads or not
your money’s worth is what you’ve got
what did you expect for free?
it’s not about what you believe
it’s not about haiku or rhyme
I’m still editing all the time
wondering if I’ve any left
your comments say I am adept
it’s not about the days of storms
or the cold nights I couldn’t get warm
it’s all about what I believe
through my eyes—the way I see it
our dim past
I can rehang and rearrange
add my pictures to all of yours
make your house a home for two
that's what I am trying to do
some old photos just don’t fit
or memory behind the photographer’s lens
what was the thought that put them there
hidden now behind heaven’s stair
in cold storage goes the rest
some of yours and some of mine
even if I could delete
erasing would be quite a fete
encumbered, feelings hanging low
like monsoon clouds in desert sky
overthinking as I speed fast
broken hearts from our dim past
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
if I fall
for Mary
in the end
before I sleep
Monday, August 2, 2021
I've got...
one for the dog and the day we married
a passport to take me near or far
to travel by plane or boat or car
a permit to hunt when the season is right
early in morning or late twilight
a diploma for time I spent at school
and one from college, I'm no fool
most of these used day to day
some to keep the wolves at bay
in every state, I guess I'm legal
and they make me feel quite regal
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Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
dusk and dawn
rambling, aimless through dense trees
jackrabbits, taller than my knees
dust and pollen make me sneeze
bees are buzzing in a swarm
weather clear, no chance of storms
lets head this way you inform
scouting for javalina tracks
I think they're way behind our backs
avoiding all the desert cracks
adjusting straps on my backpack
for one week we hit the trails
morning, evening without fail
sometimes slowly like a snail
kicking up the coveys of quail
but that season's come and gone
we see deer and baby fawn
knowing soon we'll sing their song
you and I, at dusk and dawn
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Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
royal flush
the ones who hold nothing for me
people with empty promises
a wink of an eye
with holds barred
vows of injustice
held close to the chest
without good intention
a strong poker face
not knowing...
my cards were better
as I lay down a
Royal Flush
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Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License