over the line

there is a fire smoldering
here inside of me
gonna stoke the ashes
stir it up, get what I need
judiciousness be damned
I'm tired of paying heed
gonna stoke this fire
here inside of me

gonna step over the line
do just what I please
not gonna listen to others
beg redemption on my knees
gonna live outside the lines
of the norm or what is right
God help me, it may curse me
but I'm stoking this fire inside

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

but still...

somewhere, someday
you're gonna miss me
maybe, an afterthought
but still...

now that I am gone
you're gonna miss me
thinking of things we did
but still...

when you look behind you
when you look ahead
I was always an afterthought
but still...

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

nothing

nothing left to say
nothing left to do
cards were on the table
separating me and you
I can't say the parting
was even done as friends
the bitterness was rising
saying it's the end

you turned your back like always
ready once more to depart
I knew it was final
no more brand new starts
but I also knew that finally
I would be ok
maybe not tomorrow
but eventually one day

months and years are faded
with memories of what was
all the scars have healed up
probably just because
I said please don't you contact
or this will never repair
the wounds that cut me deeply
are hidden deep in here

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

dance

the music starts
we dance once again
this time you don't let go
no one cuts in
the music just right
a song that we know

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

beyond the dream

look beyond the dream
to where you'd least expect
look beyond the fantasy
for whom you'd least suspect

write my name in kisses
each one a twinkling star
pull the moon from heaven
to gift wrap our sweet love

blow a gentle breeze
to sweetly ruffle my hair
lay me down with promise
stay always with me there

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

pandemic

the President's numbers tumble
with the democrat flair
because of a pandemic
floating in the air
so he imposed a lockdown
to keep us all at home
but the virus is still out there
as across the world it roams

leaving Dr.'s baffled
as it multiplies
gloves and masks are needed
how many more will die?
as oil prices tumble
the stock market takes a dive
my 401 is tanking
when once it grew and thrived

a vaccine will be discovered
but maybe, not soon enough
we just have to hang in there
and show what we're made of
hoarders will stop hoarding
and businesses open up
the treasury, stop giving money
cuz the government is bankrupt

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

your love

when you touch my hand
I truly understand
the wonder of your love

when you say the words
you think I haven’t heard
the sound of your love

when you whisper my name
and I know that all is changed
the meaning of your love

when you hold me close
saying I’m what matters most
the offering of your love

what I’m giving back
all that I once lacked
the returning of your love

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

Eve

Am I the Eve in your garden
the offer of forbidden fruit
Or is it my imagination
tossed out like yesterday’s news

Am I the taste of desire
still burning on your lips
When you try to sleep at night
and into dreams you slip

Am I the candle that you lit
as you say another prayer
For redemption that won't come
hope vanishing in thin air

Am I the shadow in your life
the music in your head
Or a song that won’t diminish
and fills your soul with dread

Am I what keeps you suspended
in the realms of fantasy
When morning creeps upon you
and there’s no mystery

Am I the lock upon your door
as you try to twist the key
When you are looking for something
that satisfies your needs

Am I invading your ivory tower
as you struggle to keep me at bay
While the clock ticks away the minutes
and time whittles away your day

Am I the bite of the apple
watch the juice drip down your chin
Are your eyes finally open
to a dream that could have been

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

desire

I taste the sweat of desire
a fine wine correctly chilled
starting with the touch of a hand
and all the passion spills

the want I can not hold back
cacoethes now set free
a burning in my soul
to a white hot degree

a kiss of expectation
a whisper of words of love
a release of inhibition
what fantasies are made of

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

sleep

laying next to you
the moon reflects on your face
as I watch you sleep

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

The Valley

he bridles his horse
and swings into the saddle
for a journey that’s long
and driven by passion

he left her in the valley
and the months had been hard
it was time to head home
and to her waiting arms

her voice was the wind
whispering in his ear
pushing him harder
bringing him near

he rides through the day
till he’s weary and beat
under unrelenting sun
and the desert’s dry heat

he spurs his horse onward
stars now light the sky
and when he beds down
he dreams of green eyes

he wakes very early
one more long day’s ride
till he’s back in the valley
till she’s by his side

once again he mounts
and gallops to the west
heading for the mountains
and an end to his quest

he’ll be there by nightfall
renewing all that he’d left
the months of pure torture
months feeling bereft

and the wind that blows on him
is gentle and sweet
she’s calling him home
this time never to leave

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

legends

your mind is living free
and the legend outlives
without any trust
or what it can give
always been a stranger
but you are in serious danger
of giving up arcane beliefs

let down your guard
you don't need protection
disregard the techno images
and live by random selection
your heart is not for sale
there is no price for its freedom
but all the things you use
are there longer than you need them

where is it that you go
when change is coming down?
who is it that you love?
that makes your heart pound
in a place of constant strangers
you are in serious danger
of giving up on your heart's beliefs

I can stay behind
or wait in the sidelines
while your love runs blindly away
let down your guard
you don't need protection from me
it has always been what I led you to believe

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

for my love

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

Glock 45

just like Jack Bauer
I load a Glock forty five
and my clip is full

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

end of the game

if you knew what was real
would you turn and run
from all that I feel, since I
knew you were the one

if I told you the truth
would it make your mind spin
what would you do
with your feelings within

would you respond in kind
with feelings the same
or pretend you are blind
with nothing to proclaim

if I give you my heart
what will remain
will it be a new start
or the end of this game

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

wish

wishes put inside a jar
way up high for none to see
always adding to the lot
things I want, not stuff I need

maybe someday I'll read through
this overflowing must have list
although today is not the day
there is nothing that I miss

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

levels

different kinds of love
different levels of love

love for our children
love for parents, siblings
love for another
love for a place
or book, or hobby
inanimate objects

we can't help
what we feel or when
we can conceal or bury
not healthy!
like cream, it still
rolls to the top
it's what you do
about it that counts

unrequited
harsh, hurtful, hell
no matter how soft
the words, it is still
just that, rejection

reflect, redirect, remove
reason, rationalize

move on

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

one tear

falls from veiled green eyes
a heart that's torn, compromised
words, the weapon used

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

melancholy

I walked along the beach
and didn't think about you
as I wandered up the coast
melancholy and blue
but I don't think it's because
I was thinking about you

wasn't thinking about the way
your eyes twinkled like the stars
wasn't thinking about the way
we held hands in the car
wasn't thinking about the way
you didn't leave your mark

I stopped thinking about the way
your love brought such delight
the things you whispered to me
as you held me in the night
all the kisses you bestowed
when you held me so tight

I keep wandering on the beach
not thinking about these things
not the song my phone would play
you had that special ring
it has all but disappeared
with the song my heart would sing

the sea is rushing in
and it whispers a love song
that echoes in my heart
when I think about what went wrong
the short time you were here
a long time you've been gone

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

Modification

Now some time off for myself
Thinking about a change
A new life, more exciting
A lot needs rearranged

Woke up in the morning
On that very first day
Did absolutely nothing
Neither work nor play

On the second day I thought
I will make a list
All the things I want to change
All the things I’ve missed

By evening, I’m still sitting
The paper is blank and clean
Don’t know where my mind’s at
Can’t put down what I mean

Third day, now I’m thinking hard
Paper still in hand
No thoughts are coming to me
Nothing here to plan

This is just ridiculous
I thought I was a mess
A lot that needed fixing
But now I feel I’m blessed

I guess I just needed vacation
To rest my mind and soul
My life is actually very good
I think I’m hitting goals

No mending, no repairing
No modification here
Keep on pushing forward
My mind and soul are clear

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

lighthouse

my thoughts are very broken
emptiness echoes inside
resounding against my soul
unwilling to subside

focusing on this pain
the only thing I feel
left here raw and bleeding
a heart refusing to heal

did I let you down?
not give you what you need?
did I hurt you, sweetest friend?
not live up to your beliefs?

no sunny days will greet me
no stars will light my night
no lunar glow will guide me
all that is now denied

will you leave me adrift
on this sea where all is black
with no beam from the lighthouse
to show me the way back

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

out of time

do you think that it was luck
said your time was almost up
studying this page
interesting reading
a mystery to unravel

a surprise in a small package
a present for your soul
a gift for your mind
tied up with pretty ribbon
waiting to be unwrapped

it wasn't just luck
kismet more like it
the stars aligned
when the two worlds collided
the things you see in me
are hiding in you as well

with sleight of hand
you may try to disappear
my smoke and mirror trick
that will always keep you near
I can see it all
a prophecy foretold

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

Unrequited

U - unreciprocated
N - never
R - rebuffed
E - empty
Q - quietus
U - useless
I - ignored
T - torn
E - eradicated
D - destroyed

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

through the rocky soil

after winter’s cold
shooting up past barriers
a tulip now grows

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

my heart needs a song

can you sing one just for me
a song of promise
a song of passion
a song about you and me

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