more than you

saddled my horse and spurred him hard
I rode fast and I rode far
through the plains in dead of night
now the mountains at last in sight

over my shoulder, vast terrain
nothing lost and nothing gained
alone again to still my thoughts
and all the worries that they've brought

many tabs open at the same time
what is yours and what is mine
separate hearts that beat the same
never a winner of this rigged game

take them all and leave me blue
lying here thinking just of you
not on bottom or at the tip
more than you I always quip

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

pages

as I write the pages
by dim candlelight
the ending maybe a mystery
hidden from my sight
I jot down all the secrets
that I've never told
when the day was oh so hot
but the wind blows too cold

many promises broken
angry words that were said
in the white heat of anger
things I won't confess
these pages thick with love
the ink that is still wet
from the love that glistens
and given without regret

the battles that I waged
sometimes met defeat
I would refight that war
although no easy feat
a chapter penned on heaven
a chapter written on hell
although the latter sometimes seems
the place where I shall dwell

I've lost track of the pages
and where this all may leads
drawing difficult conclusions
after numerous misleads

erasures and redoing

sometimes of all lines

thesaurus was handy

and used so many times

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

lost from sight

I followed the path
as if I had a choice
I lit the candle
and I heard the voice
the whisper in silence
the taunt in the night
the locust of despair
the hope lost from sight

all of the possibilities
that hide in my dreams
the wings of the angel
her halo that gleams
words don't match the lips
it is all out of sync
like an old B movie
pushing me over the brink

it doesn't make sense
I feel it just the same
the rhymes and the reasons
of all foolish games
I sort it all out
like laundry on the floor
I close tight the window
and open wide the door

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

Labor Day

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

the best thing

You were wearing a yellow shirt
sit next to me and we start to flirt
my favorite bar in my favorite town
life was dull before you came around

you're the best thing  I've ever done
two is better than only just one
I guess I knew right from the start
you'd be the one to steal my heart

my leg accidently touches your knee
a current of violent electricity
ravages my body and you feel it too
my mind spinning in this crowded room

I'm at a loss, should've known how'd it be
truth be told, it's a two way street
I must admit I  don't understand
why I lose my head even holding your hand

There's no explanation, or simple excuse
For the intoxication I feel around you
during the day and from dusk till dawn
every month and all year long

you're the best thing that I've ever done
two is better than only just one
I guess I knew right from the start
you'd be the one to steal my heart

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

blueprint

I thought it was all sorted
the truth from just this one
and you know I'm a sleuth
when there's work to be done
I'm reading between red lines
where clarity escapes

it seems the subjects twisted
this saga has some gapes


I think that the sweet breeze
blowing from mountains north
started way before
the band ever played our song
it doesn't really matter, 
when fragility's lost its glow  
my love doesn't have designs 
blueprint faded long ago

secure in what you have, 

secure in what you need
one holds on still strong, 

and one is hemorrhaging
one that's eyes are blind, 

one that's eyes can see
one that saw too late
an escape to set me free

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

Lyrics Of My Life

Prose that’s put to music
Lyrics of my life
Sung in soft and bluesy tones
Wonder, loving, strife

A melody of amazement
A rhapsody of passion
A song of aspiration
An opera of emotion

The chords of deep dissension
Played by violins
A harp for softer moments
A cello for my sins

The maestro does conduct it all
Standing with baton
The symphony well directed
As my life plays on

the next best thing

are we all waiting for the next best thing? 

while we rest on this plateau

is the hidden from sight 

our active imagination? 

causing dreams that come at night

are we always looking over our shoulder 

wondering if it passed us by? 

was it at that busy intersection? 

the corner of was and will be 

where we jay-walked with indiscretion 

why not slow down and just enjoy

keep what we have without the ploys 

learn the nuances, 

emit the true feeling

understanding all that love allows 

and cancel the subscriptions no longer needed

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