treasure

yesterday's treasure, soon forgotten
packed away in a minuscule box
not as faceted as once thought
on a shelf now gathering dust
another trinket now misplaced
sparkling less as it all fades

memories that once meant much
now that need has long since gone
wipe away the cobwebbed songs
forgotten lines and sing song tunes
all I ever thought of you
shattered shades of dark dark blue

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

double-edged words

wielding, slashing releasing my wrath
rhyming prose my double-edged hack
releasing all this pent-up anger
directed at my own weaknesses

berating, lambasting where it seethes
even though I saw, I failed to see
with every withdrawal and your repose
a shield you use that causes my blows

the sweetest gift you could have left
this one I use to pen and reflect
the only one who has let me down
is the one in the mirror staring back

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

dreams

she wove the clouds into a gossamer lace
trapping her love there forever
tending, rendering all of her heart
to one whose thoughts were barren

sighing, crying, realizing
that it was not to be
erasing, debasing what once was
she set her lover free
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

AWOL (absent without love)

"He went over the hill, Sergeant."
"Are you sure, did you search the barracks?"
"Yes, only personal possessions are missing.
Photographs, cd's...that kind of stuff."
"File the reports, Private."
"I was so sure this one had the right stuff,
Sergeant, and would go the distance."
"There is no such thing, as a sure thing.
You should know that by now!"
"What should I do with what is left?"
"Box it and trash it. Anything left behind will not be missed"

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

once

once, from high in the mountains
your song rained down on me
drops splattering my soul

I got lost in the fantasy, thoughts
of you tied with fragile spun dreams
bound by the depth of your love

unlacing the ribbon, you look within
with tenderness, you take my heart
uniting it with yours

now, this love blooms, flowers strewn
nourished by the rain and sun
in the valley inside

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

Worry

It serves no purpose
Helps not my thought
Wondering  about resolve
All the while,
My stomach in knots
What will be; is
 
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

addiction

and so it begins....
my withdrawal from an addiction
that causes so much pain,
frustration and confusion
as I bounce off
of these barbed-wire walls
I know I am strong enough
to finally break free

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

amber ambiguity

in amber ambiguity
how sweetly it unravels
till there is nothing left behind
just the weeded path I traveled

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

befuddled

in the middle it all muddles
like warm milk that is curdled
once it cuddled all soft and swaddled
no longer a rhyme, no, more a riddle
a heart that somehow becomes rattled
a canoe adrift without the paddles
a bucking horse without a saddle
a losing team that needs a huddle
in the midst a great big puddle
seems it was always a losing battle
it just moans with its death rattle
all of this leaving me befuddled

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

addendum

I had forgotten...
the sweet smells
lilacs in full bloom
freshly mowed grass
tulips and roses in bloom
springtime in the Midwest
the smells of childhood return
and the comforts I had left behind

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

fluent

in sarcasm I am fluent
it rolls glibly off my tongue
metaphors tumble freely about
like windows and sliding doors
sometimes I get in trouble
cause my answers are just too flip
that is the reason I write
I can always delete it!

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

silver lining

I guess the silver lining
is that I learn humility
once more I forgive
love falls at your feet
roping with your lariat
more than you'll ever need

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

black knight

glorious is your victory
no prisoners do you take
as the notches keep getting deeper
with each heart that you break
on every single battlefield
in the midst of the moonlight
the black knight is still standing
as he captures the flag of white
the dying and the wounded
suffering from shell-shock
and he turns the golden key
on a heart that remains locked

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

missing

do you feel like something is missing?
things you can't understand
like it's hiding in white shadows
part of a hidden master plan

do you get all that you're seeking?
feel you've stumbled upon some gold
is it all you've ever wanted?
what a crystal ball foretold

do you know it when you see it?
can you keep what you have found?
can you realize your dreams?
and wrestle them to the ground

can you see the storm is raging?
is it there when the sun is rising?
as the monsoon is slowly fading
does it break on your horizon?

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

vial

needle in to fill the vial
crimson it is drawn
as I wait with apprehension
a true test of fate's great yawn

lighter is the dawning
the moon a clouded maze
pushed from the sky by sunlight
as you begin a phaze

the crimson fluid tells nothing
of what will come to pass
no antibodies warning
in the crystal vase

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

seeds

as your dreams materialize
mine continue to diminish
seeds planted in rocky soil
although the rain continues to fall
the nurturing sun shines warm
mother nature works against me
as does cupid and his bow
nothing grows in this valley

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

cadence

once...
I wrote a song for you
lyrics sung of crescent moons
of stars on ceilings glowing, too
all of this I did for you

once...
I took a long shot chance
when you asked me for a dance
mirrors reflected a sideways glance
adding to the ambiance

once...
I had a vivid dream
perfectly the cadence rings
a concerto played by only strings
kindred are the spirits that sing

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

exiled

I do my best, but I don't succeed
I get what I want, but not what I need
and I'm so tired, but I can't sleep
cause when I do, I start to dream

what is it you feel when I touch your face?
what you're looking for, and have replaced
what I feel tossed, like discarded waste
I've played it wrong, and made mistakes

you said when I come, I bring the rain
no afterglow, or sweet refrain
from my love you will abstain
exiled from your heart's domain

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

Second Amendment

please, Mr. President
don't take my 9 away
right now it is my right
and I shoot most every day

I use it very wisely
I would never take a life
aren't there bigger issues?
you've got larger fish to fry!

what would I do without it?
where will frustrations go?
shooting at a target
is the best way that I know!

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

not giving back

we pillage the future and rape the land
we don't give back, can't understand
what was once a garden of Eden
is all lost by our deceiving

we fill the air with toxic dust
while into oceans oils gush
sea life dies from our mistakes
volcanoes flow, and the ground quakes

what will it take to make us see?
what will it cost to make Earth clean?
what we pass on to our heirs
what we destroyed without a care

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

blinded by the light

I'm filling up these pages, emptying this well
as I sort through this nightmare, penning my side of hell
my heart is paying the price and a bitter price it pays
I don't say anything new, it has always been this way

I've twisted all the answers and crossed the crimson line
always one more reason for this loveless crime
I can't recognize the words, or the lyrics to the tune
the drummer keeps on drumming and the piper wants his due

I'm not good at telling stories and not good at this dance
I'm good at seeing the future, as I snap out of this trance
I'm good at being alone, I have been for many a night
I'm no longer in the dark, or blinded by your light

I feel the club you're using, it has a pretty long reach
I can feel it coming down, though that wasn't what you preached
toxic isn't strong enough, lethal a better word
but you don't need redemption for this sentence that I serve

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

no better or no worse

just because it hurts
like a wound at which I curse
it is no better or it is no worse
in the end we get what we deserve

just because I lose
it doesn't mean I am lost
nothing will make me stop
each line I will step across

it doesn't mean you have won
not to me, but away you run
the door is left ajar
you can run but won't get far

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

cruising

Dorian's path is close at hand
seeing the coast and aftermath
ocean as far as I can see
calmly laying there for me

Atlantic wind that blows my hair
hand in hand in the night air
romantic is our interlude
like there's only me and you

distant shores with much to see
lighthouse ports shine on the beach
on we go into the night
sailing till the morning's light

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

the weight of love

haloed effects of a ceiling fan
a warm touch from your strong hands
kisses deep on satin sheets
as we both get all that we need

tallowed light, reflecting glow
on hidden sweetness down below
rhythmic rising underneath
the weight of love and passion's heat

the moon rises high in the evening night
and unaware we ignore its light
stolen hours of pleasure sought
giving, taking all you brought

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