Cut And Run

Let’s just leave here
All the pulls and tugs on our lives
All the endless paperwork

Let’s have an adventure
While we still can
Something to look back on

Let’s pack light
I can pick you up in New Mexico
We’ll go on the lam

Let’s head for the beach house
Old Mexico, where all the desperados used to go
In those ancient westerns

Let’s just kick back for awhile
Sun on the beach
Drink margaritas

Let’s look for sand dollars
You know how I like them
See what we can find

Let’s reconstruct our lives
We can be anything we want
Alone together

Disenfranchised from the Spanish
But who needs that headache anyway?
Bring your passport

Let’s cut and run
At least for awhile
Want to?

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

Treasures

I found the things I treasured most
Were not the important things
I had tunnel vision

I treasured the tokens you offered
Gifts and trips, monetary items
Not what was important

The real treasure was your love
The way you looked at me
And touched me, pleased me

I now know the real treasure is you
No conditions, no misconceptions
Just you and your gracious heart

NO REASONS (acrostic)

No answers given
Oblivious to your plot

Removing your love
Exiting my life
Avoiding questions
Silence
One sided pain
No thoughts of me
Silence

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

the dust from yesterday

the only sound was the wind through the sage
it blew icy cold with a whistling rage
I zip my jacket but still I shiver
against the unknown and what floats downriver

I don't sleep and lay wide awake
gnawing inside are the thoughts that quake
something I don't know and can not understand
staring at the rotating blades of the fan

love is never based on what is fair
we just weren't right, our lives parallel
what I wanted before was just a fair shake
the scar remains thick from your quick escape

fortune looked down and smiled on me
faith never lost--I always believed
my dreams for tomorrow are realized today
all else left behind in the dust from yesterday

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

Not You

May I have the pleasure,
just one dance with you.
Smiling I take his hand
and he leads me to the floor.

Slowly, barely moving
hips connected, legs intertwined,
holding me closely,
caressing my back, breathing me in.

And then come the whispers
subtle, urgent and soft in my ear.
And I close my eyes, thinking,
it should be you.

The Things You Left

When you left, you took it all
My heart, my soul
Everything good

You left me a few things
Tears, sadness, heartbreak
How nice of you

What do I do with what’s left?
Emptiness, sorrow, a void
The pain is too fresh

I was with you too long
To remember how to move forward,
Start again, renew

You left me with so little
Not enough to rebuild with
Nothing to rekindle

Upon reflection
I see now that your facade
Was just that, a façade

How did we last this long
When it was always about you
With little room for me

Yoyo

I have reached my limit
Patience wearing thin
You really push my buttons
Where do I begin?

Feeling like a yoyo
Pushed away and then pulled back
This is very tiring
You’re leaving too much slack

Never know just where I stand
Or what I mean to you
This needs some reassessing
You have some work to do

I will grant you one last chance
One last chance to get it right
The string on this toy is fraying
You wind your toys to tight!

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

all too soon

illusion drips from swollen sky 
thunder crashes in the night 
there’s no hope of staying dry 
I shout a prayer, there’s no replies 

poetry and visions creep 
inside my brain that tries to sleep 
shaking all of the beliefs 
nothing sacred here for me 

madness wanders to and fro 
down this unsigned, dusty road 
on my mind, this heavy load 
intuition thick with mold

my third eye that’s partially blind
ghosts that hide here in plain sight
it could all work out just fine
if I open my heart and close my mind

another dance, another tune 
another one of love’s buffoons 
the calendar marks the month of June 
it will be over all too soon 

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

fading fast

it was a short road out of Eden
a way that I knew well
and if I write my story
there's part I'll never tell

my car sped fast on winding roads
running through the gears
and with the sunroof open
wind whistles in my ears

all the things I leave behind
that don't matter now
and in my rearview mirror
I glimpse my worried brow

I never thought I'd really go
thought it would always last
looking back on memories
that now are fading fast

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

Dream

When the dream came
I held my breath
With my eyes closed

A feeling of nirvana
A smile in the dark
The touch I know

Don’t want to wake
Locked in this moment
And the feelings bestowed

Stay with me dream
When the light comes
Let me keep this inner glow

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

Promises Not Kept

Looking out at the pouring rain
Tends to make me blue
It only makes me lonelier
Then the first weeks without you

A streak of lightening flashes
Thunder loud and close
No one here to hold me
I thought I buried those ghosts

Close the blinds put on your shirt
The one that still smells of you
Pour a glass of your favorite wine
Maybe I’ll get through

Listening to our favorite song
The one you sang off key
How we laughed at that one
But you did it for me

Turn off the lights and go to bed
Try to get some sleep
It’s hard with my mind racing
promises you don't keep

It will rain for hours
Tomorrow dawn wet and new
I’ll wake up the same old me
A new life to construe

Doorway To My Heart

The doorway was barely open
The doorway to my heart
I thought it was shut and dead bolted

Love came and pushed it open
Barging in full force
Splintering the door, knocking the breath out of me

It filled every crevice
It devoured my soul
Engulfed my very existence

It overwhelmed me
All of my senses
Filling me with wonder and awe

It gave me a new outlook
A new perspective
Feelings I had overlooked, buried for awhile

I know now what I was lacking
What I was missing
When love was not there

It was you!

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

Dancing With You

On a lazy weekend
When all the work is through
Putting on some music
Time to slow dance with you

Dancing very closely
Your arms around me tight
Moving slowly to the rhythm
Late into the night

The closeness leads to ardor
With a fervent, passionate kiss
Hands begin caressing
And we move on from this

Hearts intertwined, souls at ease
We are a perfect fit
Sated, loving and happy
Dancing leads to this

No place we"d rather be
No place we want to go
It always begins with dancing
To the candle’s glow

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

Disingenuous

You seemed like all the others
On the surface that was true
Maybe a little deeper
I liked that part of you

The package you presented
Was a façade at best
As I learned more about you
you were disingenuous

The very things you do and say
an extreme contradiction
To the way you really are
You, my friend, are purely fiction!

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

trespasser

I walk, head down, careful footing as I
study the terrain, the way the shadow
from the mountains cover the valley floor

the dry crevices, marked with
wildlife tracks, deep and desiccated
no monsoon to wash them away

no relief, no rain to fill these
empty washes, to water this
wilderness that lies dry, parched

the cloudless sky above hides nothing
except for the desert creatures
absent in the heat of the day

as I retrace my path, I step around a gila monster
sunning himself on a rock, his rock
reminding me where I am

I am a trespasser; this is all their’s
and their tracks and presence remind me
step carefully, move slowly, retreat

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

Profound

I might have finally done it
Taken on too much
But I don't think so

You are an enigma at best
We play at this with an intensity
That ignites passion

Sharp wits and minds
Evenly matched
Swords drawn, stance taken

You are a worthy opponent
The challenge is on
Winner takes all!

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

The Angels Smiled

On the day I met you
The angels smiled
And whispered in my ear yes

They could not be wrong
Nor my mind or heart
Or the way that I feel

Cause when we’re together
The sun settles into a gentle sunset
And the moon and stars light my night

A love that still grows
Stronger each day
In every single way

I see the angels smile
Everyday, in you eyes
And in your heart

On the day I met you
The angels smiled
And whispered yes

This is for you

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

direction

looking in the wrong direction
looked left when I should have looked right
always going in circles
no end to directional plight

mixed signal that are useless
stop signs everywhere
lost in the translation
of what I thought was there

no road to redemption
no highway to get to you
no sign of inspiration
no helpful roadway crew

drive until the bridges
are once more clearly marked
the end of the road is nearing
I'm on the shoulder parked

the GPS needs updated
recalculating all the time
I know it can't be trusted
to show what's yours or mine

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

parallel lines

a distant place
a different time
no intersecting
of parallel lines

too much in common
drifting hearts
analogous souls
unclear starts

love that is lost
without a look
an unread chapter
in a closed book

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

paint

in my mind, I paint
I am an artist
the picture is beautiful

the strokes true and bold
the colors vibrant
and of many hues

it is a vision
that no one sees
but me

the vision that is painted
changes with the lights
and the darks of my soul

but I am not an artist
the picture I paint
remains in my mind only

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

Tranquility

There is a light that is shining
Offering all I want, need
A light I thought expended

It obliterates all of the darkness
This shroud that has encased me
Both spirit and soul

A glow born with a dream
That stayed when the sun rose
And warms me with it’s strength

As I shed this old mantle
And step into your illumination
Tranquility and love surround me

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

would you have loved me?

would you have loved me
if I had less fire?
if my touch
held less desire?
if my heart
was less than true?
if my eyes were less green
or maybe blue?
my wit less sharp?
if I didn't love you?
would you have loved me?

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

the trail home

a cowboy on the mountain ridge
outlined in moonlight
your face in evening shadows
hat low
protecting from the night
cool air
the breeze curling
the lapel on your vest
the dust rising from your chaps
as you spur your horse
heading down the trail
that leads you home

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

frayed

everything changed by the light of day
all of the monsters, held at bay
one more night of sordid dreams
one more day not as it seems

broken thoughts and reverent prayers
wishing for things that were not there
pictures left in broken frames
always losing at your games

never one to pull out stops
just so once, I'd be on top
a pile of hopes now resting frayed
from all of you that slipped away

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

beggars whispered plea

I need to find the place
where understanding doesn't ache
where memories no longer burn
and my soul no longer quakes

no evidence that's left
from my beggars whispered pleas
I dreamed it way too late
no escape from the debris

I still can see his face
his words still burn in me
my heart won't cease from breaking
these barbed wire encased schemes

as I turned the other cheek
I just wasn't quick enough
you'd already turned your back
you'd already called my bluff

as I drink the acrid coffee
and the evening bleeds to light
another day dawns empty
after another sleepless night

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