Innocuous

Caught in the middle
A quagmire, too dense to read
Options not readily available

One road is true, protected, innocuous
The other obscure, ambiguous, a conundrum
Do I take one of these roads, or go back?

I know what is behind, where I’ve been
The easy path, no rough trails back then
The sun was at my back, no forks in the road

I am propelled forward by a force stronger than me
I am not pulled in other direction
The journey is mine, the decision mine

I am stumbling, blindly and apprehensively
This feeling, a new concept that betrays me
And leaves me dismayed and demoralized

I know I can’t stay here, in the middle
There is nothing here, nothing behind, only forward
There will be no going back and I will not cower here

So I continue, headlong into what?
Either into harmony, peace, repose
Or into dissension, disappointment, disbelief

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

what we have

you make it so easy
every little thing you do
falling hard was simple
when I fell in love with you
you'd say it was nothing
from the path you didn't sway
I'd say it was more than that
that brought us all this way

rough around your edges
unlucky in love you said
that's not how I saw you
there's no rocky roads ahead
no, you made it easy
He put you in my path
nothing left behind us
is worth more than what we have

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

Auto Pilot

Flying on auto pilot
Solo for too long
No need for a co-pilot
My navigation’s strong

Reaching for new altitudes
How high can I go
I have no fear of flying
I just use what I know

But now I’m hitting turbulence
My skills are being tested
Even an ace pilot
Can sometimes be bested

Tighten the shoulder harness
Flip the little switch
I’m off of auto pilot
And leveling off the pitch

The craft is really shaking
Control is very tough
Using my experience
I hope it is enough

And now I see the airport
The landing strip in sight
The turbulence is over
At least for this one flight

dial my number

you used to call me darlin
you called me sweetheart too
now you never call me
what am I to do

I'm missing your sweet loving
I'm missing your deep voice
I'm missing everything about you
so make my heart rejoice

hey baby dial my number
let me hear your special ring
I know you can't forget me
my love is beckoning

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

aftermath

the whisper of your words
as they tangle in my hair
the evening slipping away
the passion resting there

the shadows in the room
hidden in your lover's lair
truth on the tip of a tongue
a heart which won't be spared

the morning dawning red
a caution for the sea
a storm is about to come
while you shake yourself free

and as you lay it down
your eyes looking through me
my love an apparition
something you don't need

go ahead and turn your back
it's what you always do
how many times I've been here
as we tried to work it through

my heart is once more bleeding
another casuality in your path
another walking wounded
in the hazy aftermath

this time no surrender
when I find you at my door
no white flag or welcome back
this time you lost the war

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

love blooms

with tender hands and a green thumb
you plant the many seeds of love
fertilizing the rich, black soil
an act of love at which you toil

putting my heart in indirect sun
watering daily what we've begun
from deep inside it begins to bloom
a fragrant flower with deep, deep roots


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

RAJ

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

canoe (JPB)

we put the canoe in
the river, like glass
sun high and hot
a perfect Midwest day

push off, catching our rhythm
harmonizing the oars
smooth teamwork
not our first time

we laugh and talk
just kicking back
reconnecting, remembering
it’s been a long time

we know what’s ahead
white water and rocks
and our favorite part,
the drop from the falls

we work as a team
maneuvering together
expert synchronicity
through the treacherous water

this perfect day
the thrill of the danger
this time we share
a new memory

back at the shore
we load the canoe
you look at me and smile
an amazing afternoon

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

the end

I push past the ache, some of the pain
remember the words, not the refrain
cadence lost with most of the care
remembrance buried cause you weren't there

deep in a heart, no longer longing
packed with the things that were so wrong
listening for songs to be sung on the wind
not for beginnings--signaling the end

you probably think this is all about you
a nightingale song from out of the blue
dispirited words that surprised you to know
long after denial, and after the glow

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

Release

Like a loaded weapon
The trigger, ready for release
Waiting for a target
Tension to decrease

All my love and passion
Feelings in my heart
Searching for one person
That can hit the mark

Searching, never finding
Mind and soul waits in unrest
I will find you somehow
To this I can attest

I am waiting for you
Look harder you will find
Everything you’re looking for
Before me you were blind

Come and find your future
Unlock this closed up door
Liberate this aching heart
My essence to restore

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

hanging by a thread

give me something to hang on to
don’t leave me hanging by a thread
something to wrap my arms around
I’ve followed where you lead

mark the path with posted signs
not leaves that can be blown
how can I find my way back
if a clear trail is not shown

I wander down this broken dream
you’re always just ahead
a pool of tears beneath me
a heart that’s filled with dread

onward in my journey
things I don’t understand
a thousand questions haunt me
a million grains of sand

the sun beats down upon me
but the sun won’t light my way
no ease in my forgiveness
all the memories are decayed

retracing fading footsteps
embedded in my mind
tracks that once led to your heart
now more difficult to find

give me something to hang on to
don’t leave me hanging by a thread
something to wrap my arms around
I’ve followed where you lead

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

erasing memories

I thought my mind could bury you deep
and my heart would never know
but like a cancer you’re still there
embedded, continuing to grow

I will forget the times we shared
the passion that was you
block out the way you held me close
and the fire that would imbue

I will erase the memories
remove what traces left
eradicate all remaining thoughts
and put my love to rest

if I practice hard enough
I can pretend it wasn’t real
a dream that lasted way too long
a dream that I still feel

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

aftermath

like a lightning flash
I release my wrath
a storm is about to come
what I can't get back
after that first lash
is going to leave me numb
you were in my path
and the fatal aftermath
will cause us to succumb

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

toughen up

he's a big man
who shows that he's weak
everytime his words
cut her to her knees

he hits her hard
with words that hurt
cracked her mind
broke her heart

nothing she can do
is ever good enough
she tries to turn her back
but can't toughen up

she never ever smiles
she always feels low
not proud of herself
her self esteem blown

she looks in the mirror
her image she can't see
the once lively girl
who was full of belief

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

silent tear

drifting in and out of dreams
as elusive as this all seems
moving in and out of time
with only fantasy to remind

touching a face that isn't real
a broken heart that doesn't heal
memories quickly fade away
leaving thoughts of yesterday

afloat on a thundercloud
a voice that screams out loud
and yet no one can hear
as I cry these silent tears

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

collecting dust

you read a couple of chapters
and toss the book aside
meaning to get back to it
on a cold and snowy night

the weather has been sunny
the book collecting dust
in an obscure corner
forgotten with other stuff

you pick it up and put it down
eventually losing your place
the bookmark lost, the page unmarked
the chapters not retraced

you should have finished reading
the story would warm your heart
the ending was a happy one
laid out for your soul's hearth

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

you rock

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

home

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

reasons

a thousand reasons to stay
a million more to go
the writing is on the wall
don't think it doesn't show

I weighed the pros and cons
and tried to turn and run
always coming back
it won't stay undone

I've tried to work it out
rationalize in my head
the list goes on for miles
filling me with dread

I might as well just toss it
for all the good it's done
baby I'm here for keeps
I just can't leave this undone

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

poker

I shuffle the cards
a five card deal
I parlay true love
you ante sex appeal

my poker hand good
a queen high straight
I win your heart
a twist of fate

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

love song

the walls I built
have fallen down
without a struggle
without a sound

you lit the shadows
an eternal flame
kindled passion
staking claim

engulfing me
in warmth and love
all I needed
you thought of

take me now
to that special place
always started
with your embrace

loving tender
loving strong
loving promises
for which I long

passion started
a voice that’s strong
singing to me
a new love song

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

Don't Know

Don’t know what you’re thinking
I can’t read your mind
I can read your actions
After all this time

Don’t know why you say things
Or do the things you do
Always pushing the envelope
When it comes to me and you

Don’t know how we got here
It’s not how we started out
It’s not like the beginning
When there were no doubts

Don’t know what to do now
With the feelings that remain
The feelings in my heart
That are causing too much pain

Don’t know where to go now
Do I move forward without you?
Can we turn the clock back?
After all that we been through

Don’t know where your mind's at
Or if you’re going to leave
Just tell me when it’s over
Or give me reasons to believe

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

Deleted

The day was almost perfect
Till that last message from you
Deleted means a lot of things

Deleted as in it’s over
Deleted as in you are wrong
Deleted left unanswered

I read what you write
I take some to heart
This is one of them

Many questions left
As I end this day
Deleted, depleted, defeated!

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

Circles

The forest is so dense here
No light can get through
Been wandering in circles
I’m lost and I’m confused

Can’t see the way that brought me in
Can’t see a way to get back
The eeriness is frightening
I’m way off the beaten path

Don’t know if it is day or night
Can’t see a sun or moon
Don’t know if it is midnight
Or if it is high noon

Got to keep on going
Won’t quit until I drop
I’m not staying in here
There’s no way I will stop

My legs are scratched and bleeding
From the bramble and the briars
Feels like I’ve been here for weeks
Instead of several hours

Surely they will search for me
Surely someone cares
Surely someone will miss me
And realize I’m not there

Up ahead I see a flash
My name I hear him call
Someone came to rescue me
Someone cares after all

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

The Price

I asked “At what price my love for you?”
He responded “What ever the market will bear.”
I think my stock just crashed!

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