marionette

a marionette strung up to a
couple of sticks, manipulated
by faceless hands

forced to dance to
a tune not my own
no will to disobey

dance puppet, dance
twirl and jump, all the
while the strings twist

no release from
the wires that hold
strong and secure


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

a reason to believe

a reason to believe
that what I feel is true

a reason to believe
you feel the same way too

a reason to believe
that although this is all new

a reason to believe
we can make it through

a reason to believe
you won’t leave me blue

a reason to believe
you’ll never be untrue

a reason to believe
that this was overdue

a reason to believe
that one has become two

a reason to believe
that I’m in love with you


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

Where did you go?

I’m not lyin'
just denyin'
you were here
now you’re not

gave me a kiss
said I’d be missed
that was last week
I think you lied

where did you go?
I don’t know
don’t answer my calls
don’t answer my text

you said I was the one
was it just for fun?
to get what you want
leadin' me along

make it right
is it an oversight?
just tell me the truth
have you moved on?


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

scrabble words without a u

qi, qat, qis, saq, qadi, qaid, qats, qaph, waqf
faqir, niqab, qadis, qaids, qanat, qabla
qorma, talaq, tranq, waqfs, faqirs,
niqabs, qabala, qasida, qawwal
qiblas, qigong, qindar, qintar, qormas, qwerty
sheqel, talaqs, tranqs, yaqona


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

Renewing The Bond

The time, again short
Is very well spent
Reconnecting our lives
How fast it all went

Acting like kids
Playing kid games
Eating pizza and cookies
Free time with no claims

We laugh and we joke
Renewing the bond
It’s like no time has passed
With the way we respond

History repeating
Memories that are new
Till the next time we’re together
Something I look forward to


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

reality

your hands travel
remembering the path
they pioneered

a trail you have mastered
rocking my world
like a C-4 implosion

we reconnect
as if no time has laspsed
as if no distance separates

we make the most
of the short time
we have now

and when the morning comes
the dream ends
reality returns

we part once again
my heart stops
but the clock restarts


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

lay me down

lay me down
cover me with love
under the stars
that glow above

lay me down
cover me with truth
not what I want to hear
but real words from you

lay me down
cover me with your heat
the passion that stirs
whenever we meet

lay me down
cover me with you
hold me and whisper
till we say our adieu’s


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

Something About You

There’s something about you
Yeah, something that I can’t
Put my finger on

There’s an excitement
Like when I was a teen
And I was breaking a rule

There’s a connection
A telepathy that exists
A strong link

There’s a relaxation
Laughing and teasing
Playing, like when we were kids

There’s a friendship
Strong and true
Dependable and real


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

Risk

How can you win
If you don’t even try?
You hit the slippery slope
And try it again

Take some of the risk
You have half a chance
To win her affection
Be the name on her lips

Down shift to high
Leaving tracks as you skid
Going for broke
To hear her soft sighs

Don’t slow down
You’ve got the checkered flag
They are laps behind you
You’re the best all around


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

It’s Not Love

It’s like the addict lookin for his next fix
Or the thrill of the hunt, but setting the prey free
But it’s not love

It’s like your arrow hitting it’s dead center mark
That euphoric ride at a big theme park
But it’s not love

It’s like winning the marathon, ahead of the pack
It’s being able to walk away and not look back
But it’s not love

It’s the adulation of the fans, when you’re in the arena
The stimulation that comes from all of these things
But it’s not love

You bring an excitement that’s hard to describe
Bringing out some traits that I tried to hide
But it’s not love


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

kiss me like you mean it

kiss me like you mean it
not like you don’t feel it
or, like your heart’s just not in it
you started it
so keep following it
but if you are going to kiss me,
then kiss me like you mean it


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

First Love

It’s like spinning the bottle
And watching it turn
Getting kissed first
As you stomach churns

It’s like your first 5 speed
And the fun it brings
Pushing in the clutch
Listening to it sing

It’s like a monsoon storm
On a warm summer night
Lightening flashing
Across the sky

It’s like the excitement that builds
With your first kiss
It’s being in love
And all of this!


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

Sweet Terrain

Constantly down shifting
Riding the clutch
Can’t get higher than 2nd
Too much traffic keeping me from you

My mind is racing
If only these cars would
Stalled on this exchange
Thinking about getting to you

Taking this exit
No congestion here
GPS working well
I’ll be there quicker

Finally, shifting to 5th
Giving the clutch a rest
Driving as fast as my mind thinks
To be with you

I’ll pick you up
Let’s take a drive in the country
Study the trees and the sweet terrain
Behind us, small, in the rear view mirror

We can park in the shade
Walk through the tall Midwest grass
Wade in the cool creek
I will be your sweet terrain


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

memories kept

I remember that day
not long ago
when our paths crossed

an integral part
locked in my heart
memories kept

friendship remains
a foundation of strength
strong conviction

time does not pass
locked in that moment
when our paths crossed


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

be me

beachcomber, beacon, beam, beatific
becalm, befitting, befriend, beguiled
being, beloved, benefactor, beseem
best, between, beware, bewitched, beyond


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

Voice

Your calmness covers me like a security blanket
Your voice, soothing and encouraging
Just what I need

Sometimes I get tired of doing it on my own
Sometimes we all need help with the hurtles
An objective opinion, voice of reason

On the outside, I am strong and I direct
I have the answers, get things done, move ahead
I am a force to be reckoned with

But inside, I am slowly melting down
No one sees or knows
It is a side I show to few

Thanks for being the voice
Thanks for being my blanket
Thanks for being what I need


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

Heart Haiku

I remove the safety
and aim in the direction of your heart
once again, love misses


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

the rose

like a bee to nectar you rush
through the garden, heading
directly to the biggest red rose
in your path the tulip, vibrant and strong
in your haste for the beautiful rose,
you brush against the tulip, obliviously
knocking the fragrant petals to the ground
you grab for the perfect rose and curse
to yourself as the barbs from the stem
cut into your ungloved hand
as you wipe the blood, from the vicious
tear in your skin on your pants, you look down
at the dirt and on the tulip
now crushed under your boots


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

Slow

I need to take it slow
Learn the nuances, the stories of you

Enjoy the beginning, let momentum build
Savor the moments and commit them to memory

Learn the attributes of who you are
Study the intricacies of your mind

Don’t rush, take it step by step
Let the feelings grow, root

Let me figure out where I am
Where I want to go, what I need

I want to take it slow
All good things take time


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

Separation

I am far from my beach
From the sea that I love
From the casa that is empty

I am feeling the separation
I am feeling the disconnection
I am feeling overwhelmed

Can’t go there now
Too much to do
Not enough hours in the day

But it waits for me
To once again rejuvenate me
To restore my spirit and soul

If only thinking about it
Could do the same magic
Work the miracle that happens when I am there

But it doesn’t work that way
Thinking about it doesn’t make it so
Doesn’t have the same affect

I need the rescue
I need it’s strength
I need it’s enchantment

I need to walk on my beach
I need to sit on my portico with coffee
I need to smell the salt, feel the gentle breeze

It will be a long while
Before I can get back
Back to Mexico, my redemption


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

Read Between The Lines

Your thoughts are deep,
like Voltaire or Nietzsche

And you pen them
your insight, feelings, love, hurt

But there is more to you
I read between the lines

Discover the thoughts and the process
look into the lines, the intricacy

Unravel the spirit and the soul
remove the veil so others can see

Let your heart be unbound
let it soar and love

I hope you find what you seek
what you write about, yearn for

Then write about that too
inspire others like you inspire me


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

time haiku

Tag says 2 hours
feels like I’ve been here 12
like I never left


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

scrabble haiku

a spelling game
not exactly a game of intrigue
still, game on!


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

First Time

You say you’re going out with the boys
You need to kick back and relax a while
You probably will not be home that late
Like that’s the first time I heard that

It’s now going on two am
No call from you, I’m not surprised
You could at least let me know that you’re alive
Like that’s the first time that happened

Playing pool at the pub downtown
Flirting, drinking and doing who knows what
I know what time all the bars are closed
Like that’s the first time you did that

Oh, wait, your car pulled in the drive
It’s four am and you’re way late
Can’t wait to hear what you have to say
Like that’s the first time you used that

Your hair is mussed, and you smell cheap
And a lipstick stain is on your cheek
I'd like to slap you but you wouldn't feel it
Like that’s the first time you looked like that

There’s your bed, it’s on the couch
Don’t wake me up, you can’t come in
Please go to bed before you pass out
Like that’s the first time I told you that

My bags are packed, I’m really going
Had enough of this, the party’s over
Enjoy the boys, let them help you through
This is the last time I’m saying this to you

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

media haiku

text, cell, im, pc
landlines, webcam, fax
media, a wondrous thing


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