The Ring

Last night I took the ring
And removed it from my hand
A lot of mixed emotions
In this little band

I remember when you put it on
And we said “I do”
Forever didn’t last that long
Longer for me than you

How could love just disappear
I’ll never understand
Your body here but not your soul
And that I didn’t plan

My future now uncertain
My outlook very bleak
It will take me a good while
To get back on my feet

I close the box with the ring
And hide it from my view
I don’t want it any more
It hurts to think of you

Reborn

You caught me as a falling star
When I fell to earth
Your loving and your tenderness
Has helped with my rebirth

Spirit shattered, heart broken
I was down and out
You saw just what I needed
And gave it without doubts

You made me your axis
And centered all around me
Giving to me selflessly
Without any guarantees

You let me have the time I need
To resurrect my soul
Never did you push me
Or hurry me to be whole

Now that I have been reborn
I’ve learned to love once more
You are all I’ll ever need
It’s you that I adore

in the wings

a heart that moves
in uncharted territory
paths not marked
unfamiliar terrain
high mountain peaks
and low green valleys

what I see in your eyes
does that reflect your heart?
words spoken or written
phrases captured in
lyrics and prose
defined better than what I can pen

afraid to say what is here
a cautious mind with
a heart in a hurry
I stumble blindly along
letting you lead
directing my feelings
like a stage production
while in the wings
"I love you" waits

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

I'll give you mine

your love surrounds
it makes me believe
that I can do anything
if you're here with me

I can get through the days
cause the nights are for you
you've hung each star carefully
not to outshine my moon

lay down beside me
lay down your love
and I'll give you mine

for what I have found
I say a little prayer
thanking the Lord
for putting you here

I can get through the days
cause the nights are for you
you've hung each star carefully
not to over-shadow the moon

lay down beside me
lay down your love
and I'll give you mine

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

unbound

an unbound heart
roaming wild and free
an untried love
something that won't be
an untamed soul
looking for what it needs
an unclaimed spirit
moving away from me

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

till I found you

I was looking for something
that I couldn't find
didn't know what it was
I was living blind
then I found you

I was looking for faith
I was looking for love
I was looking for answers
and a sign from above
then I found you

it shows up everywhere
in the sun and the water
in the falling leaves
and the fragrant flowers
everything you touched
revealed it to me
till once again
I finally believed
that I could have it all
when I found you

I was looking for something
that I couldn't find
didn't know what it was
I was living blind
then I found you

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

Juggle

How many balls can you juggle
He once said to me
I think on any given day
That number would be three

Three is pretty easy
To keep up in the air
To rotate smooth and quickly
Without taking much care

And I maybe might be able
To manage just one more
To not upset the balance
The number could be four

Yes, I think four is the number
That won’t upset the cart
Four is just as easy
At least I think so on my part

Time

Living without boundaries
Loving without restraint
Gliding through life challenges
Never learning to refrain

Hoping for more passion
Longing for desire
Wishing for excitement
Set my world on fire

Reflecting on the future
Trying to make a plan
Wanting just to share my life
and beat the hourglass sand

Life moves on too swiftly
Not leaving me much time
To find all I am seeking
and not get left behind

Come and be my passion
Fall under my spell
Come to me and be my love
and your own yearnings, tell

in the middle

you lit the candle at both ends
and wait there in the middle
to see which wick burns sprier
while thick wax forms its puddle

you're hoping it goes one way
it may just go the other
then you're left with just a mess
no candle to light your path

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

finding your way

you said that you weren't ready
had to go find your way
you said you're becoming a stranger
didn't recognize your own face
you looked back over your shoulder
gave me a little smile
you said it might take a minute
or it could take a good long while

I released my hand hold
like a bird, set you free
to see if you could find it
yourself and what you need
it took longer than a moment
you've been gone for quite some time
I don't know if you have found it
what you searched for that wasn't mine

I couldn't get close to your spirit
inside that shroud you bear
I couldn't fix you, couldn't save you
but I tried--laying my heart bare
in the breeze you're still soaring
looking for that place to land
and in my dreams I'm crying
over what we'll never have

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

just a girl

I know I was not the one to set your heart on fire
infatuation lays in dust with days long since expired
I wasn't close to being the dream you wanted to come true
I'm just a girl who long ago fell deeply in love with you

I'm not the key that fits the lock and opens up a door
I didn't have the power to give all you wanted and more
there was just no miracle or wishes upon a star
I'm the one in the rear view mirror, when you drove off in your car

when you look back and wonder if you had gone that way
will you see the promises of what you held at bay
I wasn't close to being the dream you wanted to come true
I'm just a girl who long ago fell deeply 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

dreams

when the dream becomes reality
and the reality like a dream
when the fire catches and ignites
but is much more extreme

the moon breaks through the scattered clouds
the wind is pushing the colors of fall
a galaxy of stars surround
as love takes memory in it all

closed eyes open, my heart pounds
it's all in the scheme of things
when the dream becomes reality
and the reality like a dream

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

songs

guilt doesn't weigh you down it seems
from the love songs we didn't sing
at night you sleep a reverent sleep
miles away, I toss and don't dream

you warmed yourself next to my fire
passion burning hotter and higher
every minute of every sweet hour
I thought that it would never expire

all of these things that I forgive
from the start when you drew me in
Grace absolves you from all sin
the songs I keep and hold within

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

fire

stoke this fire
that continues to burn
with every dance
with every word
keep it hot
let the embers fly
igniting all
that is close by
dance near my flame
touch this heat
keep it burning
feed this need

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

love songs not sang

guilt doesn't weigh you down it seems
from  all the love songs we didn't sing
at night you sleep a reverent sleep
miles away, I toss and don't dream

you warmed yourself next to my fire
passion burning hotter and higher
every minute of every sweet hour
I thought that it would never expire

all of these things that I forgive
from the start when you drew me in
Grace absolves you from all sin
the songs I keep and hold within

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

it all has a price

everything costs, it all has a price
what's posted as free, is not that at all
the smorgasbord feast, can fill you right up
gestational quality?? yeah, not so much

the poverty stricken with cups for some change
standing on street corners out in the rain
at the end of the day they have nothing to show
and the stipend isn't enough to fuel what they know

the boxes in the alley in which they call home
not filtering heat or the winter's snow
all is not what it once seemed to be
they hide in the darkness to cover their needs

once they were families with a lifetime to gain
before the bi-polar and all of the pain
the burned out cars and fires in barrels
that warm their spirits but not their perils

backs are turned on what is endured
the government abhors all they stand for
we can't feed our people while dumping the oil
it all stays in trash bags as excess and spoil

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

skies of blue

one last look, at the past as it drifts
across the mountains into the sea of rifts
no safety nets or easy rides
on the wave of life or ocean tide

I meant every word, played every part
the stars in the sky that blinded my heart
I wouldn't change even one little thing
what heartaches fall and memories bring

I look in the mirror and face the fears
was it just a moment or many a year
as I lose track of what it means
tears fall fast from eyes of green

I write my messages on your wall
the comments that mean nothing at all
thoughts of fair weather and skies of blue
and all I dreamed I saw in you

it was all there, every single part
every lyric ever sang right from the start
at midnight Cinderella had to run
and two fades quickly into one

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

Have's And Have Not's

If you have your health

If you have shelter

If you have those that love you

If you have those that you love

If you have warmth from the cold

If you have shoes for your feet

If you have sustenance when you are hungry

If you have drink when you are thirsty

If the have’s far out weigh the have not’s

Then you, my friend, are truly blessed!

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

The Storm

This storm ravages me
The lightening flashes in my eyes
Torrential rains soaking me

Hurricane winds forcing me
in directions I don’t want to go
Doing everything except sweeping my soul clean

The thunder shakes my very core
Nothing to hold on to
I am weak and powerless

No shelter to be found
No safe haven
All security ripped from my grasp

The sun will not shine
The moon will not glow
No stars light my path


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

spring

I long for spring...
fresh breezes and sweet air
cleansing the slush and frost
of winter
from my soul

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

my heart

my heart's been broken and badly bruised
always bouncing back, that's what I do
pulled the stops and went for broke
never penniless, there's always hope

under the stars and crescent moon
the many long nights I waited for you
but you had problems of your own
despite the sword you kept well honed

Que será, será, what was to be
I searched for you and you for me
when the time was right, it finally came
love long lost, beseeches the game

I knew fast, you lagged along
not sure I was singing your song
the longer you stayed, the doubt did slip
with my" can do" style, and razor wit

those doubtful days are packed away
when love did come it came to stay
happiness the future told
it desert heat or winter's cold
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

Control

It didn’t really go as planned
Things got in the way
Unexpected troubles
Changing the whole day

Handling the problems
Sorting through the mess
Shooting from the hip at times
To alleviate the stress

Where is it that I need to go?
What is it I should do?
When the solution finally comes
Will there be a me and you?

I no longer have control
If I ever really did
The control was always held by you
Although it wasn’t hidden

The dark side is upon us
Will we make it through?
Weathering yet another storm
Until the skies turn blue

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

runner up

at no time should you be runner up
second best in a relationship
draw the line--stand your ground
there is nothing to be gained
and your heart will know

wait for the one
who puts you first
fills your needs
understands all
holds your hand

in the long run
this is what you deserve
what will make you smile
sooth your sole
and share your life

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

kiss me good night? (another of my mom's MJF)

if in this world there were but two
and all the world were good and true
and if you knew that no one knew
would you?

if you dreamed in pajamas blue
of two strong arms embracing you
and if you really wanted to
would you?

if all the world wee nice and bright
and if I stayed with you all night
and if I turned out all the lights
would you?

if we were in a certain place
an we were sleeping face to face
nothing between us but a little lace
would you?

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

her words (my mother's poetry MJF)

my mother has the prettiest tricks
of words and words and words
her talk comes out as smooth and sleek
as breasts of singing birds

she shapes her speech all silver fine
because she loves it so
and her own eyes begin to shine
to hear her stories grow

if she goes to make a call
or out to take a walk
we leave our work when she returns
and run to hear her talk

we had not dreamed these things were so
of sorrow and of mirth
her speech is as a thousand eyes
through which we see the earth

God wove a web of loveliness
of clouds and stars and birds
but made not anything at all
so beautiful as words

they shine around our simple earth
with golden shadowings
and every common thing they touch
is exquisite with wings

there's nothing poor and nothing small
but is made fair with them
they are the hands of living faith
that touch the garment's hem

they are as fair as bloom on air
they shine like any star
and i am rich who learned from her
how beautiful they are
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License