retreat

too blind to see the obvious facts
as I push them all into my backpack
without a look or sideways glance
I move forward, away from this dance

painfully putting them all away
burying deep, this time to stay
no more hoping, wishes foreign
from this heart now tattered and torn

around the corner, down the street
you head forward, there's no retreat
sensing moods now gray and dark
those splintered words
that breach your heart
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

shooting star

saw a shooting star
burning bright in the night sky
too quick for a wish

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

Not Trying

I’m not trying to take you
Where you don’t want to go
Not trying to make you feel
Something you don’t

I’m not trying to confuse
The thoughts in your mind
My feelings not a puzzle
They are clear and defined

I’m not trying to sway
Your heart towards me
When you’ve already said
We can never be

I’m not trying to move you
To a future where there’s none
But if you looked deeply
You’ll see there is one

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

Things

Laying by the ocean
Sands so smooth and white
Staring at a cloudless sky
Contemplating life

Thinking of the things I’ve said
And things I left undone
Things I should have started
Things to be begun

Maybe I’ll just stay here
Resting on the shore
Just let life care for itself
No worries anymore

Truth

I looked into your blue eyes
To see if there was truth
To see the way you really feel
To understand your mood

You veiled your eyes to shield me
Thought that I wouldn’t see
What you were about to tell me
Was not how it should be

Trying to protect me
Though you will break me heart
Telling me what I want to hear
Instead of tearing me apart

Your blue eyes can not save me
From what we know is true
That maybe we weren’t meant to be
And I am not for you

So just go on pretending
Covering up the lies
Hoping I won’t see it
The lie in your blue eyes

stories

tell me a story
you say with a grin
I'm making one up
as you settle in
no interruptions
not one word from you
and a duck and a car
is what soon imbrues
you smile your smile
and never once stir
now tell me another
and again I concur
two or three stories
your eyes start to close
your head on my shoulder
as you quietly dose
holding you tightly
my heart filled with joy
at the pleasures I'm sharing
with this little boy

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

Brilliant Disguise

My brilliant disguise
What I want you to see
Only that

I can’t show you everything
There is too much
Hidden away

Take what I show you
Love me for that
Nothing else

nothing left

for everything you’ve given
you’ve take twice as much
always about you

worn down and tired
of trying to give you all
I have nothing left

the tears have dried
there are no more to cry
finally

I need to step up
take control of my heart
block you from my mind

someday you will see
that you lost a lot
when you lost me

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

Things We Take For Granted

Waking up each morning

A cool breeze on a warm day

The warm sun after weeks of cold weather

A night sky full of stars

The kindness of stangers

An excellent bottle of wine

Really good coffee in the morning

Waking up next to someone you love

A child's laughter

Each other

Our children and our children's children

Love

The future

Life

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

Luck

However did you find me?
A stoke of just pure luck
You knew I needed finding
It was that note you struck

You took the room required
There was a lot of space
Not much rearranging
Just holes that were replaced

You knew the things I wanted
You gave with an open heart
Not much effort needed
You saw that from the start

You grace my life with loving
The strength and peace I require
You ask for nothing in return
It’s me that you desire

You put me back together
Restored all that was lost
Gave me back my blue sky
With each new day that dawns

No matter how you found me
Thanks for all you gave
Rendering a life renewed
A heart that needed saved

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

the valley

The valley was not always green like the name implied. During the hot summer months and in between the months of monsoon, my soul would dry and crack like the deep desert washes that surrounded the small little town.MJB

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

garbage

I've got it all together
that's the way it seems
inside my shoe
my sock slips down
and it is bugging me
I just grin and bare it
no one will ever know
when I get home
they're coming off
and in the garbage they go

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

days pass

as I pass by
I smell the fragrant odor
from the glass vase

different hues
some bright, some pale
leaves of the darkest green

but the days pass
the colors fade
and the blossoms fall

and now they are dead
petals on the table
wilted and brown

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

Best Time Of The Day

In the stillness of the evening
Quiet and serene
Sitting on my patio
Enjoying this peaceful scene

We talk about the trivial things
Over a glass of wine
Nothing important or pressing
Nothing crucial on our minds

This is the best time of the day
We share it just us two
Lost in our surroundings
A love that’s strong and true

Loving, peaceful moments
Moments that we share
Savoring the best in life
All because you are here

Long Past

A beauty in her younger years
But that has started to fade
The strife and pain of long ago
Written across her face

Fingers bent and painful
Hands with lines and veins
From years of tending those she loved
Scars are all that remain

The days have not been kind to her
Each decade beat her down
Those she loved have left her
None are left around

Waking up each morning
Each longer as she ages
Loneliness surrounds her
Unexpected in this phase

Remembering how it used to be
Longing for the days long past
When she loved and it was returned
Something she can’t get back

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

Darkness Lifts

When the darkness lifts
that surrounds my soul
and the light shines on me

When the heavens send
a cleansing rain
to wash my soul clean

When the fog dissipates
from the warmth of the sun
and I am again restored

Only then can I finally move on
leaving this broken spirit
and broken heart behind me

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

I Am Here

When you are feeling lost
Don’t know which way to turn
I am here

When you are frustrated
And need a sounding board
I am here

When you just need someone to turn to
To listen without judging
I am here

When you need to unwind
After another long day
I am here

When you need soothing
A gentle touch
I am here

When you are cold to the bone
And need warmth
I am here

When you want arms to hold you
A shoulder on which to lay your head
I am here

When you want to be loved
Completely
I am here

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

sleepwalking

I’m testing the waters
that are very deep
are you letting me drown
or teaching me to swim?

you draw me in
like a moth to flame
so close to the heat
that could be my end

and yet I’m still here
with the questions that remain
my hallucinating mind
where all is crystal clear

if I open my eyes
will it all be reality
will you disappear
like smoke into the clouds?

I’m afraid to know the truth
but the vagueness is far worse
sleepwalking in this love affair
what happens when I wake

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

before your eyes

you withdraw more
than you put in
overdrawn now
yet once again
checks and balance
just won't solve
red lines, black numbers
slowly dissolve

the statement here
before your eyes
columns long
materialize
many equations
that don't add up
to what you pour
into your cup

shake your head
and start again
adding now
with paper and pen
that's when you finally
realize
the truth that's here
before your eyes

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

Symmetry

The words you have given me
worth more than flowers
Flowers wilt and die
words are permanently etched

Engraved in my memory forever
The way they were expressed
The sound of your voice or written by hand
Touching me deep in my soul

Like prose or lyrics
The symmetry and balance of your words
Touch in ways hands can’t
Wouldn’t know how

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

Happy Ending

Write me a happy ending
Add balance to this life
Someone to come home to
My life could use more spice

Write me a happy ending
At the end of a long day
A glass of wine and loving
Things your eyes conveyed

Write me a happy ending
With passion, desire and trust
Take me to nirvana
I miss it very much

Write me a happy ending
Let’s build a life to share
Massage my mind and body
Show how much you care

Write me a happy ending
The rest is pretty balanced
Share the things I offer
A life of luminance

Write me a happy ending
A happily ever after
It’s the one thing that I’m missing
I need this one last chapter

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

Indecision

Trapped here in a nightmare
On a one way street
Alone, afraid and anxious
Nothing here concrete

No way out of this here maze
All paths lead the same way
Each one worse than the one before
Much to my dismay

Hopeless indecision
Which road do I take
Afraid to proceed forward
Afraid of a mistake

Show me the way onward
The safe and truer course
Guide me through the challenges
The one with no remorse

No answers are forthcoming
Nothing to keep me safe
Relying on my knowledge
To lead me from this place

Following my instincts
The ones that are instilled
To find my true direction
And a better future build

Protect and lead me safely
To God above I pray
Help me find the path I seek
Do not lead me astray

A feeling of security
My sentinel is here
A light in the cold darkness
Salvation now is near

Thanks for the help given
Illumination clear
A guardian to save me
Refuge now is here

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

Words Spoken

He said “I’ll see you tomorrow”
She responds “yes, you will”
He smiles at her back as she walks away
She hums to herself as she leaves

But tomorrow is an uncertainty
Seconds that turn to minutes
Minutes of wasted time
Hours that once gone can never be retrieved

He calls her just as she is getting into her car
“I forgot to tell you I love you” he says
“I love you too” she replies
“I want you to take that with you” he responds

She takes the words spoken
Puts them in her heart
And turns the key
Locking them inside forever

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

My Heart Cries

My heart cries
The chance ripped from me
The rug pulled from my feet

My heart cries
From the things that you said
When you left me

My heart cries
For the touch
I no longer feel

My heart cries
My mind in turmoil
Because you left

My heart cries
My hopes dashed
Spirit broken

My heart cries
The candle snuffed
Prayers unanswered

My heart cries
The sun falls from my sky at day
Stars blotted with clouds at night

My heart cries
For what will never be
For what can never happen

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

Light My Way

With darkness all around me
I try to find a way out
To no avail

Trapped inside this longing
Like a small animal in a cage
Hoping for rescue

Lost in the darkness
Yearning for answers
None come forth

My heart bleeds
My soul is torn
My spirit broken and raw

Come and find me
Save me from this pain
Light my way

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