shaken

your heart is shaken
it's perspective now jaded
no strength to move on

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

Daughter

We fight, like kids
I’m on your level in a heartbeat
It’s was always like this

I have more experience
I have been where you are
I know how you feel

Why do you ask
If you don’t want to know
If you don’t want an answer

Let me protect you
Help you through this
Do my job

Where you are concerned
I want what’s best
I can’t turn my head, my heart

You manipulate, and avoid
That is what you always do
I know this about you, always have

You always want to run
Take the easy way out
Give in and give up

I won’t let you this time
I can’t do it this time
Don't ask me to

So I push and I push hard
Just like when you were little
That daughter, will never change

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

Not a Children’s Rhyme

Could you, would you start this thing
Could you, would you make me sing
Could you put your hands right here
Could you make your position clear

Could you, would you unbutton this
Could you, would you with a kiss
Could you remove my jacket like so
Could you do it really slow

Could you, would you remove my belt
Could you hurry before I melt
Could you, would you undo this snap
Could you move closer, there's too much gap

Could you, would you take more care
Could you move over, you're pulling my hair
Could you, would you turn off the light
Could you love me with all your might

Could you, would you take your time
Could you make me feel sublime
Could you, would you slowly ignite
Could you, would you stay the night

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

The Right Moves

It’s like having it all
In the grasp of your hands
Owning the world
Making your stand

It’s like the feeling that comes
When everything is right
Planets all aligned
Future looks bright

It’s like knowing yourself
Making all the right moves
Mistakes in the past
Doing what’s right for you

It’s like doing your best
And being precise
And it all comes together
When you roll the dice

It’s like taking the chance
Laying it on the line
Getting more than you planned
In this lifetime

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

just one word

I said I loved you
but I lied
there is so much more
I hold deep inside

just one word
is not enough
to tell it all
to sum it up

expressed in kisses
and when we embrace
expressed in passion
and many countless ways

it’s in my eyes
it’s on my mind
it’s in my heart
spirit and soul entwined

I said I loved you
but I lied

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

silver cord

to be in your heart
I’ll give it my all
removing all doubts
to make you fall

turn your head
turn your heart
turn you around
for a new start

put you completely
under my spell
it won’t take much
I can tell

tie you to me
with a silver cord
wrapping you up
with whispered words

to be in your heart
I’ll give it my all
it shouldn’t take much
to make you fall

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

no rainbow

a monsoon blows in
face wet, raindrops blend with tears
the rainbow absent

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

swan song

the libretto not completed
a score that’s not quite through
a title not yet chosen
there’s so much more to do

a half completed opera
an aria that’s unsung
the curtain has not risen
waiting for the maestro’s baton

paint still wet on scenery
it’s taking much too long
doesn’t matter anyway
not ready for my swan song

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

fairytale

my mom read me a story
bout a girl and a shoe
and how if it fit just right
she would live happily ever after
I think she called it a fairytale

now you are standing at my door
a box in your hand containing one shoe
you kneel down and slide the slipper on
a perfect fit, made for me
I'm ready for my happily ever after

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

Math

Not a mathematician
Numbers not my game
But this beautiful equation
Still adds up just the same

I do know what pi is
Took all the algebra course’s
Don’t know why I needed it
It is not my main resource

I know all the templates
And the hypotenuse
I know all the angles
I’ve studied hard about you

I can do the numbers
My math is very good
You and me we do add up
Just like I thought we would

No degrees off center
No compass or T square
A draftsman is not needed
We’re already there

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

two ways out

two ways out of every box
fall out of the bottom
or climb out of the top

get out of the box
experience new things
time to take stock

if you feel trapped
when it all closes in
don’t just adapt

kick and fight
don’t accept status quo
battle your plight

if you can't find strength
pray for what you need
or else you will sink

the rewards will come
when the dust settles
after the fight’s begun

two ways out of every box
fall out of the bottom
or climb out of the top

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

Grey Goose Haiku

with a broken toe
I boot up and go dancing
Grey Goose healed my toe

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

where I am

I can take you there
that place your soul searches for
that is where I am

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

I love

I love morning coffee
and my chats with you
I love lazy evenings
with nothing much to do

I love reading books
about a mystery or prose
I love being by the sea
and secrets others don't know

I love driving a 5 speed
and the old MG
car
most of all I love you
no matter where you are

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

high tides and green grass

as I wander on this beach
alone with my thoughts
that are so deep
thinking about a path to take
contemplating all that’s left
putting mistakes in the past
lessons learned and filed away
to be recalled when needed
an accordion file of those I’ve hurt
a rolodex of pain received
I face the future
not with a clean slate
I reflect on what will be
an obscure crystal ball
dictated from the power above
the high tides and green grass

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

designer cowboy

hey, what are you doin there mister
yeah you, standin in that space
leanin there in your stetson
lookin about this place

do ya think that you fit in here
why did you even stop in?
to hang out with real cowboys?
to see how the other half lives?

your boots are probably Lucchese
they look like they cost you alot
look around here buddy
that’s something we ain’t got

standin there against the bar
a long neck in your hand
lookin at all our cowgirls
listenin to our cowboy band

your hand made shirt is perfect
those jeans are probably Gucci
we’re lookin at you in our Wranglers
thinkin you are quit the fool

no one will approach you
don’t ya feel kind of strange?
you ain’t got no friends here
it’s like you dropped from outer space

sure, the cowgirls are lookin at ya
never seen one like you
but they know you’ll only use em
and toss em when you’re through

before startin somethin you can’t finish
I think that you should guzzle that beer
drink it down, stop lookin around
and mosey on out of here


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

making do

my heart was sequestered
before the virus spread
no room for any other
here inside my head
and I don't mind not leaving
or to venture out to stores
we'll just stay here cloistered
make the most of staying indoors

every thing I've needed
I already own
staying away from others
for how long is not known
making the most of not sharing
any of my time with you
I could stay here forever
while others just make do

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

past the point

it's way past the point
to say you're getting to me
it's way past the point
a heart that's bound not free
it's way past the point
I know that you got to me

I was looking for something
didn't know what I would find
I had this list made up
and hidden in my mind
didn't know when I met you
that it could be sublime

it's way past the point
to say you're getting to me
it's way past the point
you've already got to me

when I review the list
that I had in my head
all the things bout you
I've settled on instead
not one of them a match
this list I'm gonna shred

so take me down this trail
I'll follow you happily
take me through this life
I'll stay with it gladly
hold my hand with love
cause baby I love you madly

you already got to me
you already got to me

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

wonderin

wonderin why I’m drawn to you
like a moth unto the flame

wonderin why when I leave you
you don’t feel the pain

wonderin why I got caught up
in this crazy game

wonderin why I told you
my feelings I proclaimed

wonderin why my heart hurts
a feeling that’s inane

wonderin how I got here
and if you are to blame

wonderin why my thoughts
can not be reclaimed

wonderin why I love you
when you’ll never feel the same

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

Linger

Linger just a little while
Before you have to go
I don't know where the time went
But it did not go slow

Linger just a little while
Make our loving long
It seems each time you’re leaving
A longer time you’re gone

Linger on the nape of my neck
And the places you know best
Caring, sensitive, ardent
Until our love does crest

Linger just a little while
Set my world on fire
So I can lock it in my soul
The fervor you inspire

Linger just a little while
One long passionate kiss
Make it a really good one
One I’ll really miss!

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

Lessons Learned

It’s the things we take away with us
All the lessons that we learn
Expressions filed in memory
The times that we got burned

The times the heart gets broken
The darkness and despair
Hopeless situations
No mending, no repairs

Memory like a rolodex
Or an accordion pleated file
Heartbreak, loneliness, disparities
The list goes on for miles

Always adding to the inventory
Keeping the lessons close
Drawing on the things you've learned
The things that hurt the most

The lessons keep you on the path
Protection from future pain
So you’ll find what you're looking for
Using knowledge that you've gained

You won’t make the same mistakes
If you keep to what you know
The next time will be better
Because of how you’ve grown

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

Silver Thread

the days of winter are long past
spring is over, summer coming fast
the days are longer, light late into the eve
as each day does finally, gently unweave

a treasure left over from early in the year
the wealth of a friendship that I hold dear
now stretches forward in the hot months ahead
woven with a viscous, unbreakable silver thread

as I move forward with a summer that’s new
and a history that grows from my winter with you
the year will go quickly, that’s the way it always seems
but the friendship will stay, secure and esteemed

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

when I am blue

it is only when I am blue
melancholy will seep through
a love that was never to start
no longing for me in your heart

it is only when I am blue
I remember how you pursued
warm kisses in a winter night
passion that was contrived

it is only when I am blue
I think of love untrue
shattered, futile dreams
heartbreaking fantasy

today, I am blue
and again, I'm thinking of you
anger blends with grief
your love not offered to me

today, I am blue
and I'm thinking of you

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

the blatant lie

my mind tells my heart
my heart believing the ruse
trusting what it feels

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

Home Fire

Today when you were packing
And getting ready to leave
You said you didn’t know how long
You said please wait and see

Chasing after another lost cause
A war which you believe
Chasing after the enemy
Freedom to achieve

I am always waiting
For an end to all the blight
As I watch you turn your back
And head into the night

Another period of lonely days
A week, a month, a year?
I’m tired of all this waiting
But try to hide my fears

I will support you always
And pray for your return
Until you come back safely
The home fire will always burn

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