silent screams

I lift my head, the tiara slides
from my eyes the tears now glide
trusting no one, only me
what I know, what I believe

in the heavens, clouds make forms
from the hives the bees now swarm
mine for an hour, not for days
leaving me in many ways

never in heaven, when I do pray
skies not blue but dark, dark gray
I'm not one to believe in luck
sometimes love can truly suck

if I find the answer, I'll let you know
smoke drifts up from stone cold coals
when I awake from this bad dream
my throat is dry with silent screams

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

untitled truth

once fooled by a crescent moon
constantly wondering...
did I do wrong?
not know the words,
to all of your songs
dancing in darkness
waiting for the curtain
to rise from backstage

an understudies role
no acting on my part
pulling on key phrases
the hidden truths
that you refute,
keeping lines straight
every poem counts

what I learned
from that whole mess
at a high cost; and
mistrust of all others
I learned, once again, to believe
in the bright, full moon
where everything
is bathed in soft light and truth

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

a forked trail

the trail forked--you dropped my hand
not part of life, but destiny stepped in
in cold storage a bleeding heart sat
and I was thinking "what's up with that"

walking in pine, soaking up sun
before I know, the moon comes up
I'm cold and tired--my soul is blue
I glance forward--my eyes see you

so many paths I could have roamed
leading me farther and farther from home
from this crest, I can see for miles
your brows furrow, but your mouth smiles

time speeds on like a bullet train
I'm reading the rhymes from each refrain
put to music, it's a country song
of all the rights and all the wrongs

I still read but I write less
poetry was always when I digressed
my blog grows dust and twitter does too
cause I have nothing to compose for you

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

moveable mountains

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

thank you and please

trust that doesn't grow on trees
a tall oak with many leaves
your love brings me to my knees
I'll take it all, thank you and please

so many ifs and a few buts
turning my heart just enough
it's my head that calls the bluffs
loving me is sometimes tough

my eyes open, I won't be fooled
never forgetting the golden rule
just those ones that made me blue
all gone now that I met you

you keep singing, I love you songs
two years now our password strong
I had doubts it would go this long
it is here that I belong

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

the wanderer

long before me, there you wandered
two wheels sailing high above
one back marked so she could travel
always with you on your quest

history written by the notches
wooden hearts that felt your touch
nothing more had they to offer
given just the thing you craved

like the ghost of Christmas past
offerings wait still for your touch
hidden deep inside the gift
the end to all you’ve come to know

locked up tightly, secrets stay
waiting for discovery
should you forget, or walk away
all there in will be displayed

in the heat, we felt a spark
July blistered, in the dark
what I felt, the flame you started
burns eternal in my soul

hold me close and kiss my lips
all you need is here for now
trusting only what I feel
knowing more than I can tell

the hawk is perched upon the limb
watching, waiting, seeing all
screeching loudly, off he flies
leaving us in certain doom 
here before me, your mind wanders
thoughts of then, thoughts of now
pensive are the thoughts my own
knowing ghosts still here to roam

truths about me

I have seen the quizzes
answers by those that think they know
"truths about me"
though, all they see
the facade of me
hidden in all but my poems

I have read your works
hidden meanings
carefully put feelings
lines and lines
innuendo, plain and true

unlock your door
release what is there
go forth and prosper
it may not be proper
political suicide

here I sit, waiting
monsoons come and go
thunder claps and lightning bolts
sometimes blinding clarity
other times, not so much

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

fade to blue

solutions are never easy
sometimes the quandary is huge
words don't always frame your heart
pictures blur and fade to blue
often I go off track
my heart tries to control my mind
that is when mistakes are made
because love is always blind

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

lessons from life

we learn from the pain
such are the lessons from life
always, starting fresh

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

collision

slim lines are mangled
beauty lays down on asphalt
quiet are their screams

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

what we found

now I'm walking in the sunshine
my feet don't touch the ground
I'm yelling at the stars above
'bout everything we've found

you whisper words I long to hear
but those that hold me close
those that know my secrets
see I'm basking in this glow

so baby take my hand
lead me gently down this path
lay me down on denim sheets
let neither of us look back

building on this love we found
the symmetry is so strong
everyone can read the signs
hear the music of our song


now I'm walking in the sunshine
my feet don't touch the ground
I'm yelling at the stars above
'bout everything we've found
 

so baby take my hand
lead me gently down this path
lay me down on denim sheets
let neither of us look back

sleep walking

staring into open dreams
heights of passion
bottom of despair
you are never far away
in every mentation and every prayer

thoughts that plague when I'm awake
memories that fill my working day
sleep walking in the daylight hours
into the nights filled with desire
while you hold my heart prisoner

but in the darkness as I slip
into dreams and into your arms
there I always find your love
fan blades cooling passion's ardor
where at last love is complete

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

thirst

the sun beats down on this hot desert day
I'm thirsting for something
I can't quite taste
an azure sky, no chance of relief
I've figured it out
I know just what I need

I need an oasis
I need to be quenched
I need a monsoon
that will thoroughly drench
I need your passion
an overflowing trench

I'm thirsting for love
I'm thirsting for you

my heart is pounding, feeling an ache
a mournful sound that resonates
crying out for some respite
rain on me baby, shower my life
but clouds aren't forming
in my arid desert sky

the water lays buried, deep underground
I keep digging deeper
there is none to be found
some day baby, this river will run free
and what I'm thirsting for
will assuage my needs

I need an oasis
I need to be quenched
I need a monsoon
that will thoroughly drench
I need your passion
an overflowing trench

I'm thirsting for love
I'm thirsting for you

let me swim in your passion
as you quench my one desire
dive in deep
let the water get higher
rain on me baby
let your river flow free
drench me, immerse me, saturate my needs
let it flow all around, surround and
through me

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

Kiss Of Deception

The kiss was of passion
Desire, hot and strong
Staying in my memory
Long after we were done

We talked of many things
Long into the night
Holding and caressing
Exploring new delight

And then when we parted
I thought nothing had changed
Our hearts did seem bound
For something long range

But a kiss of deception
Still holds a lie
And the abruptness of the ending
Is killing me inside

A kiss of betrayal
The bond came unwound
The last kiss received
Was one that let me down

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

Don Juan

One false move is all it takes
Careful what you undertake
It could be a big mistake
Suffer another true heartbreak

Learn the secret to the heart
Endure the many attempted starts
Leaving a taste that’s bitter and tart
Often times it will tear you apart

Wearing your heart upon your sleeve
Is it getting you what you need?
Or is this why your heart does bleed?
While you make your slow retreat

Pull it together, just go on
Realizing you are not the pawn
Reinvent now, don’t withdraw
While waiting for the next Don Juan

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

You & I

When the rainbow appears
After the storm passes by

When the final note is played
After the last verse is sung

When the amen comes
At the end of the prayer

When the snow thaws away
And the flowers reappear

When the fog rolls away
And the warm sun shines

When your soul finally heals
 There will be you and I

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

No Redemption

He goes in for liquor
Other shoppers pull away
He knows he is dirty
From begging all day

He uses the cash
From the hot day's work
Not for food or necessities
But to buy a few quarts

He hates what he is
The way his life died
All that he’d dreamed of
And all of his pride

He’d lost it all
For all that he cared
A family and position
A life he revered

It didn’t take long
For it to evaporate
He could barely remember
When his life was not gray

So he takes the full bottles
And heads to the shelter
Another bed not his own
In this life’s helter skelter

He drinks the first bottle
So that he can sleep
To block out the memories
That plague him so deep

He knows not redemption
He has spiraled too far down
As he tosses the empty
Opens the second with a frown

He walks into the refuge
With the others, same as he
All outcasts and lonely
And with unanswered pleas

He thinks of his family
And has one last prayer
To look after and protect them
Since he is not there

He closes his eyes
For dreams that won’t come
From a life of devastation
A life that is numb

In the early dawn hours
The priest says a prayer
For the homeless, cold body
That is left laying there

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

gathering speed

I check your progress, you're gathering speed
trying real hard to overtake me
I've been there before--won't slow down
my smile turns quickly, to a frown

you had your chance and blew it bud
don't come here and fire more scuds
the light in the tunnel is growing dim
I don't care if you sink or swim

never a leader, although you tried
with a quick smile--wink of an eye
I saw through the shroud of fear
waiting and watching when you appeared

self confidence withers and finally dies
storm clouds form in the blue sky
talk to my back, my ears won't listen
these are lips you won't be kissin'

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

No Recovery

When the only thing that’s left
Is coldness and no love
There’s no way you can change it
No band aid big enough

When the only thing that’s left
Is bitterness and pride
You’re both tired of trying
And all the love has died

When the only thing that’s left
Is fighting, bad feelings and spite
No going back, no recovery
A relationship not right

Then the only thing that is left
Is to move forward and cry
Wish each other well
Get on with your life

Super hero

your super hero shield doesn't work
I got through didn't I?
though small that I am
I left an impression
you will think of me once in awhile
and smile or not
you will remember I was there

because I was!

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

Beguiled

Lying in the darkness
Just before dawn’s light
Watching you there sleeping
Memorizing the sight

The way your mouth is curving
In a half moon smile
Pulling at my heart strings
Leaving me beguiled

Turning over towards me
You feel for where I lay
Wrap your arms around me
Let’s stay here all day

It is these special moments
That all seems good and right
In these early moments
Just before dawn's light

no goodbye

there is no goodbye
no, till next time
or see you soon
not a sentiment
expressed in any way
which cuts me deep
and wounds my heart
a slight that hurts
like a betrayal
of my emotions
felt by one
and one alone

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

Conquest

The conquest didn’t take that long
Your mark’s defenses down
Wanting an adventure
A heart that was unbound

You started with flirtation
Her heart then starts to follow
Spinning her direction
A rogue in a knight’s armor

Unabashed you turn her head
And swoop in for the kill
She’ll never know what hit her
She’s given up all will

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

Inner Peace

The sun sets slowly to the west
My home is far away
The dusk comes gently to the beach
An end to another day

Walking on the desolate sand
The sea now gently rolls
The tide far out, leaving shells and pools
And calmness for my soul

A time of deep reflection
My thoughts come fast and clean
Whenever I am here the sea
has this affect on me

Chart a new course for my life
Direction easy and true
Answers for my questions
That I’m able to think through

A full moon rises over the sea
As stars light up the night
the sea, the beach, the calmness
Will stay here inside of me

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

Things I Couldn't Say

there are things I couldn't tell you
when we sat and talked that day
although we talked for hours
'bout what was goin' on
there were things I couldn't say

then was not the time to express the way I feel
timing wasn't perfect for what I needed to tell
now the chance may never come around
but I hope someday it will
there were things I couldn't say

so I keep it all bottled up inside
may have to take it with me, on the day I die
I hope I get just one more chance
to confess it all to you
the things I want to say

the things I need to say

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