another day

I reach for you but you're not there

grabbing at straws; clutching thin air

perhaps I imagined, thought you were real

another dream that is congealed

the dawn is bleak, the raindrops fall

another storm as I recall

making it through the long hard day

dreamless nights, I'm held at bay

what was it like, before the gloom?

with beautiful flowers in full bloom

another day, a long lost time

when I was your and you were mine

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

only a fool

only a fool plays by the rules
it's said beggars can't be choosers
only a gambler has nothing to lose
only a rock's too hard to bruise

more than two can play the game
how many in the end remain?
it somehow doesn't come out the same
when each and all start laying blame

when we take off the velvet gloves
inspecting and examining this thing called love
seeing what it's not or is made of
praying this time it's enough

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

glock

I go to the range
and load my glock
the day I had
still in shock
I load up the clip
with hollow points
gonna use them all
before I leave this joint
there's nothing better
than shooting at the range

it feels so good
in the palm of my hand
squeezing off a round
this feels grand
the hit dead center
right through the heart
I never miss
this, my true art
there's nothing better
than shooting at the range

pretend I'm Fiona
the Burn Notice gal
I think you could be
my sidekick, pal
do you think you can handle
a chick with a gun?
you can load my clip
while I'm having fun
there's nothing better
than shooting at the range

maybe if you're good
I'll give you a bout
to relieve your stress and
get rid of those doubts

no doubt about

the way it feels

see the target

get the chills
there's nothing better
than shooting with you


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

Lucky

You got lucky mister 

Lucky when we met

Lucky in my perceptions 

Lucky in my depths 

Like a fortune in a cookie

Like a gambler at the table 

It’s all on the line 

And destiny’s unstable 

Peeling back the layers 

Getting to the heart 

Uncovering the mysteries 

Of all that’s deep and dark 

A meeting that was chance 

Odds a thousand to one 

You still came out on top 

Obscurity undone 

I Put you on the path 

And turned it all around 

Gave you a new insight 

Put your feet back on the ground 

When all is said and done 

I gave it all to you 

And what you take away 

Is more than what you knew 

Yah, you got lucky 

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

litmus test

a true litmus test 

turning me deep crimson red 

a beautiful shade

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

carry on

we carry on
when it all comes down
there's more thunder than rain
our dreams lay in shards
we carry on

we carry on
through the reality of it all
more fable than fairytale
more investment than return
when it all starts to shatter
we carry on

we carry on
because the sun will still shine
a silver lining to be seen
after the storm's rage
tomorrow will come
and it will be a better day
we carry on

match

every dream, every chance
you burned them all
with just one match
brushing against
memories once sweet
incinerated ash
laying at your feet

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

we

you make me laugh
you make me sing
you promise the world
and all good things
seven months
a milestone for me
it keeps getting better
now that I is we

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

Slow Down Haiku

You need to slow down 

Pull back, kick back, don't look back 

it's time to relax!

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

maybe

maybe I should have fought harder 

maybe I should have been smarter

maybe it should never have started 

maybe we should stay apart 

maybe, maybe, maybe 

maybe we should not have met 

maybe I shouldn't have left 

maybe I will have regrets

maybe I will never forget 

maybe, maybe, maybe

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

ride on

ride on 

ride on 

moving out of here 

dream on 

dream on 

all the dreams are gone 

stay strong 

stay strong 

getting through some how

 

moving on, 

moving on

using all my strength

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

laundry

feelings hung to dry 

like laundry on the line 

emotion and despair 

stains are retained there 

sometimes the spots that remain 

freckled, flecks of pain 

splattered all across 

don't come out in the wash

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

left behind

how do I know 

what to leave behind 

what I'll no longer need 

in this future of mine 

what if what was left 

was what I needed  

and it can't be retrieved 

because the history's deleted

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

ambrosia

passion comes
cherry sweet
juicy kisses
the taste and smell
of ambrosia

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

forget the math

I want to make it easier 

stop over analyzing, 

more compromising 

one and one doesn't always equal two 

gonna stop putting up walls 

let it out of the box 

erase the lines that I drew 

I want to take it easier 

take it as it comes

push the envelope some

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

storm

your storm ravages my heart

the lightening flashes from your eyes 

the thunder of your voice 

the hurricane force winds 

of the words you hurl, 

cutting and deep 

intended to inflict and destruct 

the storm rages through the night 

no protection, no shelter 

and in the morning, all is calm

the storm has passed, 

but not without devastating my spirit

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

drops on the tile

sometimes, good things pass 

spilling like wine from a glass 

hurrying to contain it too fast 

missing the drops on the tile 

although, I take it slow 

looking for secrets I don't know 

the extinguishing inner glow 

disguised in crescent moonlight 

reflecting on what I see 

and all you once meant to me

doubt now plants its seed 

a vision of hidden perception

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

sunset

as I look for love that feels just right 

not too loose and not to tight 

someone to hold me late at night

till the dark sky bleeds red light 

looking for a love that I haven't found yet 

filled with passion, no regrets 

a heart in which my dreams can rest 

as we ride off into the sunset

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

happily ever after

shall I start yet once again? 

look for it, seek it, search hard 

will it come to me? 

a spring breeze 

blowing down from green mountains

or arriving on wings of doves 

will it ride in a cowboy hero? 

from an old black and white 

swinging me up behind on his horse 

as I wrap my hopes and dreams 

around an image of what it should all mean 

hanging on for dear life 

as we gallop off into the sunset 

and live happily every after 

or not

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

blindside

every heart has a blindside

part of all devotion 

overlooking the obvious 

omnifarious emotion

the counterfeit good faith 

that travels across miles 

it's not the first mistake 

but it's part of the file 

when illusion of choice 

goes out a revolving door 

and all the words I hear 

have been said before 

forgiveness becomes weakness 

when it comes down to this 

the blindside sees truth

hidden in the Judas kiss 

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

temple

my body a temple 

where my heart resides 

you hunger for one 

starving the other side 

sustenance I offer 

feeding body, heart and mind 

you consume till you're full

and the rest is declined

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

coup

a reason to believe 

a victory I won’t taste

tension in the feelings 

a love that’s gone to waste 

I feel it in my soul 

the words escape my lips 

a bloody, useless battle

my mind can’t seem to grip 

the air escapes the room 

and I can’t seem to breathe 

a scar that just won’t heal 

a wound that always seeps 

a heart that is still screaming

it beats it’s disbelief

never, ever thinking 

that you would really leave 

no pleasure in the moments 

that I once spent with you 

the fire that burned inside me 

defeated with your coup

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

toi et moi

a story that needs written 

a sonnet of all that I feel 

a poem that's not yet titled

an ode not yet revealed 

my unpublished heart 

un histoire d'amour 

you and me

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

thoughts

your thoughts on my thoughts 

your fingers caressing keys 

as you kiss my mind

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

Walking Home

You walked me home 

After that bad storm 

Making sure I got there 

Safe from all harm 

Surrounded by darkness 

No light for my way 

No stars in the sky 

The moon tucked away 

holding my hand tightly

Though you were not there 

Talking me onward 

Your voice in my ear 

Alone that late evening 

But your presence was there 

A light in the shadows 

Removing despair 

You walked me home 

The moon tucked away 

Your voice in my ear 

With me the whole way

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

shrines

shrines to those they lost 

dotting the southwest highways 

there are so many

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

terra incognita haiku

fear of the unknown 

a terra incognita 

where we will still go

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

enough is enough

I could write a book

of things I've seen

instant gratification

is what I need

so I write a poem

for you to read

short and simple

and quicker it seems

these times of turmoil

and tainted views

only certain channels

report real news

the rest paint words

the truth may cause

a dark, deep bruise

our intellect

may get confused

I'll take true statements

time after time

sharing the word

of all new crimes

the muck and the mire

the slinging of grime

it's still growing

it's not even half-time

turning it off

when it's too much

cynicism weaves

its painful touch

leaves us limping

without a crutch

come on world

enough is enough

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

feels like love

it's been a long time
since I felt this way
thought it was used up
disappeared with yesterday
just when I thought
it would never be
it was just around the corner
and it feels like love to me

you call me up
in the middle of the night
to see how I am doing
if everything's alright
just when I thought
I was finally home free
I turn 'round the corner
and it feels like love to me

you hold my hand
look into my heart
I feel the electricity
I feel a million sparks
just when I thought
it was something I can't see
it was just around the corner
and it feels like love to me

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

without a sound

you live inside my memory
ricocheting without a sound
the fortress that I built for you 
is crumbling to the ground

I put you on a pedestal
using fiction rather than fact
fables that I told my heart
to keep it all intact

you're the single leaf remaining
on a barren olive tree
withstanding inclement weather
hanging on inside of me

wind will pull you from that branch
eventually, you'll be set free
drifting away with what remains
memories will finally cease

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

summer day

all I want to do
is lay down in tall grass
on a warm summer day
watching clouds pass

all I want to do
is skip stones on the lake
feel the breeze blow
see the ripples it makes

all I want to do
is hold hands while we walk
along the river bank
leaving footprints as we talk

all I want to do
is just let it all be
on this lazy summer day
while you're here with me

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

Driving Haiku

Driving on I-10  

mind racing at 100 mph

Hope I don't get stopped

Sand Dollars

Seashells washed up on the beach 

With the morning tide

Lots of little tide pools 

Swimming with sea life

Searching for sand dollars

None here to be found 

Walking, looking, finding none 

Not this time around 

Finally, one in seaweed 

A perfect little shell 

Stooping to retrieve it 

Before the ocean swells 

Very, very brittle

It breaks right in my hand 

Keep on searching, seeking more 

None on this smooth sand!

Shelter

Lay down and I’ll watch over you 

Protect and keep you safe 

This can be your haven 

Your shelter, your escape 

My arms will wrap around you 

And hold you when you need 

This love I have to offer 

Let me put your life at ease 

Close your eyes, rest your mind 

While you are in my care 

I will shield and deflect all pain 

Waylay all your fears 

While I sooth your weary brow 

Relax and just let go

Protecting, holding, loving 

Forgetting all life’s woes

Collateral Damage

Fool that I was 

I I fell for your charms 

Putting myself 

In the way of harm 

The words you used 

Disguised the facts 

I see it clearly 

When I look back 

Eagerly I followed 

And let you in 

Dropping the walls 

I’d built within 

My heart unprotected 

You attack my defenses 

Turning my head 

Sending me spinning 

Collateral damage 

From when you were here 

What love that you gave 

Completely disappeared

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

winner

the winner's place in glory 

standing on the dais 

receiving your olive wreath 

you participate in the game 

repeating your mantra 

mentally pushing yourself on 

your opponents are skilled 

hitting their stride

long before you 

practiced excellence 

but you persevere 

blinders to the competitor 

in your own zone 

and in the end 

there can only be one winner

one true champion

but you are only the loser

if you throw your hands up, 

quit and walk away

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

if

if I love 

if I feel

if I trust 

if this is real 

if what you say 

if what you need 

if what I want 

if I proceed 

if my heart spills 

if it’s in your grasp

if I look forward 

if I don’t look back 

if the stress factures 

if it all cracks 

if I piece it together 

if I stay on track 

if it is His will 

if it’s supposed to be 

if it does happen 

if it’s you and me 

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

last night you were here

and you held me close 

singing a song just for me 

you come in my dreams

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

unworn love

my love unworn 

you try it on

looking at yourself in the mirror 

turning around to see how it fits 

not liking the look 

you take it off 

toss it on the floor 

and continue shopping 

for a different size

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

no response, no reply

it was loud and clear

I guess that was your answer 

no thank you works too

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

I dreamed you were here

I dreamed you were here 

we sat on my terrace 

sipping wine under the stars 

the full moon bathing us in lunar light

I dreamed you were here 

singing me a love song 

as we danced, locked together, 

barely moving to the song you sang 

I dreamed you were here 

holding me close under Egyptian sheets 

your whispered words 

surrounding me with love 

morning dawns, the dream fades

as I stretch and turn 

reaching out for you 

finding you weren't there

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

book II

I reread this page 

my favorite in this book 

a book about us

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

cracked

you light the filtered end

of your last cigarette

you were going to kick the habit

but you're not ready yet

dressing for a quick run

to the convenience store

and you're lighting up another

as you walk through the door

home alone with coffee

trying to plan your day

but too many thoughts are rushing

and on and on  they play 

like an old scratched vinyl record

that skips and gets hung up

you pour yourself more coffee

in your chipped and cracked old cup

you toss the cup in the garbage

and buy a set of eight

happy with the decision

now the coffee should taste great

you wash them very carefully

put them in the drying rack

you clink two of them together

and both of them get cracked

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

truce

beneath a white and tattered flag 

rests and uneasy truce 

unfurling over wounded hearts 

and truth that was seduced

one more walking wounded 

one more tourniquet

the battlefield left bloody 

and it's not settled yet 

riddled with holes, it waves in the breeze

over all of this muck and mire

silent the heavy artillery

that rests for several hours

will we ever find armistice?

the peace on either side?

which one will surrender?

and cover their wounded pride 

do we live to fight another day? 

duck and cover from the truth?

how did this get started?

was it with me or you?

the silence of the cease-fire 

that spans on either end 

as we reload our ammo 

I'll break but will not bend 

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

blemish

the mirror reflects every wrinkle 

every blemish and all fine lines 

looking closer in the  brilliant light 

I still see the pieces whole 

though I try to cover it completely

cosmetics just don't do the trick

truth stares back at the end of the day 

when the powder is washed away 

with the breaking of each crimson dawn 

weakness filters in with the sun

after  sweet dreams...how real they seemed 

cotton candied fantasies -- 

before they overcome me 

before I trip on what's not there

I reckon with the reflection 

and how I got from there to here

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

poetry

poetry still flows 

music that you left still plays 

each verse about me

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

happy endings

I believe in happy endings 

and in each new beginning 

I believe that when life is darkest

it's always before the dawn 

I believe the glass is half-full 

just waiting to be topped off 

I believe that what gets broken 

can sometimes be repaired 

I believe if you look deep enough

there is good in everyone 

I believe that the bitterest lemons 

make the sweetest lemonade 

I believe if you want something  

that you can make it happen 

I believe it's a radiant light that shines 

at the end of the dark tunnel 

I believe in silver linings

in every single cloud

I believe that there's a lesson

in every test you face 

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

hollow point haiku

a hollow point, 

it sounds so impersonal, 

in the mag where  lodged

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

Sixth sense

I’m reading you like

the current best seller 

Nothing you can hide 

Your eyes always tell 

I can read your actions 

and I can read your mind 

Filling in the gaps 

From the things that you hide 

I can read the hesitation 

Just tell me if I’m wrong 

Usually dead on accurate 

This curse is quite strong 

So just be straight forward 

Always better than a lie 

My mind’s eye sees through 

everything implied 

The truth is your ally 

Be concise and be real 

Don’t hedge or taint facts 

Don’t try to conceal 

You know I will know

If  the words are not true 

Because I have a sixth sense 

When it comes down to you

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Heaven's Closed Door

Like a shattered glass 

Edges jagged and sharp 

Cutting into my soul 

With fragmented shards 

Sinking in silence 

Spiraling into an abyss 

Shadows surrounding

Free falling in blackness 

This engulfing nightmare 

Only I’m wide awake 

Tortured and confused 

Which I just can't shake 

I know what is waiting 

I’ve been here before 

No chance of salvation

From heaven’s closed door 

The rage of angel’s 

Their fury unleashed 

The wrath of deities 

Raining down on me

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A Disingenuous Act

You looked through me 

Like I wasn’t even there 

You were saying words 

That I couldn’t hear 

I thought I knew you better 

I guess it wasn’t so 

The only things I saw 

Were what you put on show 

 A veil of deception 

A cloak of desperation 

A mask of dishonesty 

A shroud of aberration 

A disingenuous act 

That took me by surprise 

A nefarious performance 

That was well disguised 

You looked through me 

To see the other side 

Like I wasn’t even there

A memory brushed aside

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

Roller Coaster

Like an old roller coaster 

With wooden slated tracks

The cars all freshly painted 

The kind we saw way back 

The feeling in the pit of your stomach 

As you slowly start the ride 

Ready with eyes wide open 

With your fears laid to the side 

Starting up the first steep slope 

The excitement starts to build 

Ready for what is coming

Ready for all the thrills 

 And as the ride continues 

Seems like it will never end 

The clicking and the clacking

Going faster around each bend 

You finally ascend the last peak 

The cars all picking up speed 

Descending downward quickly 

Around the corner with eyes squeezed 

Are these not the same feelings? 

You have when you’re in love 

The ups and downs of relationships

Euphoria, highs and lows

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