Freedom

you came back from the vietnam war
different from how you were before
thunder brought nightmares from
all that you saw
through the jungles
your way you did claw

buddies that passed
and wouldn't come home
always a soldier, but
never alone
not ever the same
that boy that was sent
all that lays dead
like the bullets
there spent

my husband, my lover
the father of two
a flag now that's draped
and well covers you
thanks for your service
and all that you did
so freedom will reign
long after you're dead

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

time well spent

the clouds all lift
and I find my place
in the sun that glints
on halo's that grace
it's time well spent
and I want more
mercy answers
with an open door

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

Veterans

all of those that served
thank you for keeping us free
heroes, all of you

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

it all fits

candles lit
wax drips
I am firmly
in your grips

underneath
Egyptian sheets
passion grows
as our love heats

in my heart
you're the part
I knew it well
right from the start

it all fits
well matched wits
loving all
I taste of this

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

ghosts

when I ran on empty
you filled my life
working around
what lays behind
days of heartbreak
an eye that was blind
you touch my heart
and ease my mind

months of cold
and listless days
starting over
all of that erased
once again, I pledge my love
letting all the ghosts abate
if I think about it much
will it be the same debate?

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

sunset

there is a reason
the sun sets in the West
going down, the day is done
and as we relax and unwind
it sizzles softly into the ocean

mountains majestic
green and tall
the mighty saguaro
arms outstretched

the moon rises high
to a coyote howl
and a million stars
watch us sleep

the sun, jealous, in the East
rises early and tries to compete
although the dawn is a beautiful red
the splendor of the sunset wins

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

leaves

leaves...red, orange and brown
barren limbs from where they hung
winter coming fast

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

your every move

there's a master plan
we just can't see
maybe, hidden by mountains
or shady mesquite
sometimes we can't see the light
but we can feel the heat
open your mind
before you retreat

when forgiveness feels
like a foreign place
where serenity
doesn't show its grace
when you search for peace
but it escapes
and the remaining dregs
shake what's left of faith

you read the books
attend the groups
it doesn't soak in
or help to soothe
the shadow shrinks
but is never removed
the shroud still covers
your every move

there's a master plan
we just can't see
maybe, hidden by mountains
or shady mesquite
sometimes we can't see the light
but we can feel the heat
open your mind
before you retreat

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

not a cowgirl

you've got me listening to country
some of these lyrics ring true
 my foot may be tapping in time
but I don't wear cowgirl boots

I don't own a cowgirl hat
I know you have a few
all of mine are caps with brims
and some sport logos too (not John Deere)

I don't drive a pick-up truck
imports are what suit me
I do like driving a stick shift
but not wearing Wrangler jeans

I don't live in Nashville
I do live in the West
I do love to shoot a gun
a cowgirl at heart I guess

now, you've got me singing along
to these catchy rhythmic tunes
I think I could even write a few
send me some more would you?

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

my drift

if I left my heart in San Francisco
but I'm in Luckenbach, Texas
if Chicago is my kind of town
but I need to please come to Boston
if by the time I get to Phoenix
I'm on a corner in Winslow, Arizona
if I am having a Rocky Mountain high
but I am kissing L.A. goodbye
if I shuffle off to Buffalo
can I catch the last train to Clarksville
if all of my ex's live in Texas
that's why I'm wasted in Margaritaville
if everything spins--like the quarter that flips
or much quicker than a New York minute
if you get the gist of these tunes that were hits
then you catch my drift and where all this was going

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

leather

they're a perfect fit
and okay, I will admit
I look hot in chaps

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

scent of rain haiku

the nitrogen smell
that comes before the rain falls
a scent that I love

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

Desert Rain

A southwest sky
Blue and clear
Wishing for storm clouds
To reappear

The desert monsoon
That gives us life
Deafening thunder and
Lightning strikes

A month of rain
Cool and clean
Replenishing all
Making the desert green

The washes fill
And overflow
Hazardous driving
We’ve come to know

I love the monsoons
And the month of rain
It doesn’t last long
In this terrain

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

storm

it may storm and the winds may blow
the lightning flash and thunder rumble
we weather the storms and the monsoon rain
climb out of the washes where the water rushes

the tempest blows and pushes hard
but we're holding on, holding strong
wandering down this mountainside
to the valley below where the stars collide

take my hand and lead me through
protect this heart wrapped up in you
suspend the moments and hold the thoughts
breathing freshness, the storm has wrought

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

rain

the desert heat withers
days long, spirits beaten down
the sun baking deep crevices

my soul cries for rain
liquid silver drops
torrents to drench
soaking to the bone

rain down on me
overflow the washes
bring the verdancy
back to my valley

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

dreaming in color

I'm learning to dream in color again
I rest in sleep 'til the dawn creeps in
that door that opened leads to a garden
wide open views without the usual fences

the mountains purple with skies of blue
sweeping to the valley with wondrous hues
the breeze sings a song with a new tune
I know the reason--it's all you

the unanswered knocks on those old doors
millions of questions there weren't answers for
like a child's game I tallied the score
I couldn't win but went back for more

but now I dream in color again
I rest in sleep 'til the dawn creeps in
paid the piper for all past sins
removing the loss is the best revenge

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

awesome

I scoot closer
my visor touches your back
your body shields the cold
a breezy morning
the mountains...awesome
the traffic...light
the sun rises
the day warms
the bike purrs
and so does my spirit

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

camo

peel a layer of camo off
the sun now high above my head
nothing ventures in my path
gloss my lips and sit and wait

this terrain in which I hunt
the grey ghost hides deep within
I chamber a round waiting to see
if today I have more luck

the wind blows gales across the brush
watering eyes beneath my brim
blow my nose, and ponder fate
loving the forest's canvass hues

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

the hunt

a doe and fawn upon the hill
skittering down while it is still
lifting their noses in the air
smelling the hunt that lingers there

never see them with a buck
who has a different kind of luck
during season, he travels alone
every night a different home

daring not to stop and graze
not in the field or forest leas
hidden in the meadow's loam
many places he can roam

a doe comes near - at least 3 feet
before she looks and then sees me
on her fleet feet, she runs away
don't worry doe, it's not your day

plenty of shots, but none are mine
they call it hunting, I know why
hard to find the bucks are hidden
maybe next time will be my bidding

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

hoping

many things we don't want to face
answers plain we can't embrace
how some loves into the background fade
why sometimes we turn and walk away

the words I write, the things I feel
not always kind, but to me real
ups and downs with heat and chills
love without the returned thrill

without looking, I found what's true
what I wanted...couldn't get from you
color now painted over the blues
what I'm hoping you'll find too

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

unmatched

random acts of love
displayed when we're together
to the outside world
for hearts still unmatched
you are searching for true love
but look in the wrong place

would you know it
if it fell in front of you
kicking and screaming
begging for acclaim
instead, you ignore
turning around to leave

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

what seems obvious

a new chapter starts in both books
the pages blank; pens hovering
what I've learned from you:
tread more cautiously
don't trust so easily
look for hidden agendas

my path looks unobstructed
debris in high piles to the side
but I will not take at face-value
what seems obvious
that much I have learned

what did I leave you with?
was there anything?
we talk of you, no questions of me
you box what you can carry
checking what's left for free

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

what if

what if the mountains aren't high enough?
or the sages don't give you pleasure?
what if the heat is hotter than you thought
and the valley no longer holds treasure?

what if your dreams are not all they seemed
nightmares plague when you try to sleep?
what if your plan gets way out of hand
or your heart falls in way too deep?

what if your mind loses control
of all these things that you pondered?
what if your loss has too high a cost
as your soul deserts you and wanders?

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

a better way

was there a better way to say it
then turning and walking out the door
it's not the way either of us planned it
love doesn't live here anymore

I remember that day when we first met
that look in your eye when you first saw me
the look long gone as well as our song
and there's someplace else you'd rather be

spring fades to summer like my favorite jeans
summer faded quickly into the fall
come the monsoons, with lightning and thunder
by winter there's nothing left at all

there had to be a better way to say it
maybe with a kiss and one last lie
a better way of ending, without pretending
a better way of saying good-bye

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

rainy skies

you dot the i's and cross the t's
on all that once meant much to me
it lies in tatters on the floor
so I don't go there anymore

what we built now falls apart
too many splinters in my heart
I know the reasons and the whys
they stretch across the now dark sky

torn to pieces what we knew
under rainy skies and crescent moons
a red umbrella that now leaks
drenched I wait for small relief

pack your bag and mount your horse
little waits for battled remorse
a tourniquet will stop the flow
the dam breaks on the valley below

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