draw the line

say the words
lance this wound
cut me and watch me bleed
make it indelible
so there's no going back
draw the line

I thought I could
but I know I was wrong
I've tried too many times
it's gone too far, I'm in too deep
my mind's lies are my heart's truths
draw the line

there aren't any songs of forever
no miracles of love lost and found
just rainy days and blues hanging lowand deliverance from pain that won't come
draw the line

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

maybe

could it be that the hardest
and the right things are the same
could it be you want it all
without any of the pain
maybe you compare
maybe you judge
maybe you want it
maybe you don't

could it be you stepped over--
way across the line
could it be there are no questions
that ever cross your mind
maybe you are right
maybe you're dead wrong
maybe there's no doubt
maybe answers will not come

could it be you seek perfection
a taste of all that's true
could it be you seek an image
a mirror reflection of you
maybe you seek
maybe you will find
maybe you can
maybe you won't

could it be that what you've gained
is exactly what you had
could it be that the circumstance
leaves you feeling sad
maybe you should look
maybe you will see
maybe you are blind
maybe it was in front of you

could it be that in the future
this will all make sense
could it be that you'll look back
on memories that you missed
maybe you'll be happy
maybe some things never change
maybe you can settle
maybe not

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

wander and wonder

you discover what lay buried
deep inside my soul
coffee does not warm the part
now open and exposed

left along the wayside
left without a marker
sparkling in the sunlight
shivering in the dark

one thousand days of rain and sun
while you ponder and measure
wondering if this gem will fit
inside with all you treasure

as you wander and wonder
someone discovers your find
he turns it over and over
thinking all the others were blind

a trinket in the eyes of one
a jewel in the eyes of another
a loss in the life of one
a rare find in the life of the other

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

Brushing past

I can’t touch that part of you
That wall can not be breached
You won’t let down your defenses
That separate you from me

Stuck in a chain of moments
That were not meant to last
Telling it to my memories
When I relive the past

Face down in recollection
From the time that you were here
Moving in your own direction
Brushing past when I was near

I don’t know what you’re seeking
Maybe you don’t know your self
But it wasn’t me you were looking for
Or love in and of itself

Keep your heart protected
Don’t let down the wall
But the loneliness that surrounds you
Won’t protect you from the fall

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

caught

in the timber way up north
a cabin by a cool, deep lake
alert and watchful here I lay
always tossing wide awake

fish swim deep in cooling fathoms
waiting to get  teased then caught
like an unrequited lover
feeling all that love has wrought

walking in the early morning
crunching feet on fallen cones
reminiscing, always remembering
the years of what is sharply honed

coming to that still sweet spot
where passion was once sweetly born
was it only yesterday
where now the weeds have overgrown
 
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

senses

I still remember the way you taste
ambrosia when I lick my lips
honey sweet--inviting me
to sample and enjoy

I still remember the way you feel
your warm breath against my skin
hands that slide as we hit our stride
fulfilling each and every part

I still remember the sweet perfume
hanging heavily--permeating the room
as the sun slips from the dusky sky
and lunar light filters in

I still remember the lyrics that play
over and over in my mind
music we write to this dance we do
strumming softly in the night

I still remember the vision reflected
in every thought, in every mirror
all of these senses can not lie
or hide all of this that stays inside

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

shell game

I know you were here for a reason
but it beats the heck out of me
as you give me another lame excuse
thinking I can't solve this mystery
your sleight of hand may be real quick
a shell game in which you believe
but you've forgotten my magical power
of seeing into hidden things

here we sit in the same room
but we're not in the same place
we do the dance and sing the songs
as we both stare off into space
you turn left and I turn right
the moon goes behind a cloud
it's not a win, it's not a loss
as love shuffles away in the crowd

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

center stage

I rehearsed the lines for the center of your stage
I knew every word by heartI knew the lyrics to every score
that the orchestra would have started
I knew the backdrops for every scene
the costumes to be worn
I knew my cues, and all yours too
as I waited at your stage-door
I knew I was the understudy
when I tried out for the role
I waited in the wings, with arias to singto a heart that was already stolen
but still I waited, anticipated
the time for me would come
the curtain won't rise, to my surprise
after the last not is strummed

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

wild things

my dreams made up of wonder
my back laying in tall grass
trying to see the Milky Way
and what the stars have cast
a spell that I am under
my eyes are open wide
becoming one with sky and moon
in clouds I testify

nothing else comes close
to this bliss--this ecstasy
oozing out of every pour
purged deep from inside of me
it soaks the ground around me
flooding into the desert wash
wild things come to quench their thirst
drinking their fill from what runs off

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

petals

in between the petals
where the sweetness lays
moisture forms like condensation
on glass from humidity
joy lingers by the candle's glow,
long into the night
with lunar beam comes a sweet dream
--half reality, half fantasy
I wake at dawn, stretch and yawn,
languid in your arms
knowing when you slip
inside this vaporous mist
I'll catch you when you fall
I'll catch you when you fall

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

my song

there is a song I keep deep inside
no one has ever heard it before
there is a small crack that light shines through
ajar now is that door
I think I can sing this to you

can you write the music and the melody?
can you hear the whisper of the words I sing?
if I hum a few bars will you sing it with me?
this song that plays in my soul
this song I want you to know

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

pinned dreams

you are in my heart
you're dotting every i
you're in every thought
that crosses across my mind
you're there in my hopes
and on the end of my line
when my cellphone beeps
it's you every time

as I pin each dream
on each little star
each time I turn around
right there you always are
no rain on the horizon
just skies of purest blue
each dream in my heart
is all because of you

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

all nighter

sometimes I go back and visit your memory
rattle the chains, remember what used to be
but the ghosts can't hold me close or kiss like you
I'm tired of these dreams and waking up feeling blue

so I pull an all nighter, stay up 'til dawn creeps in
thinkin I can get past just how it all began
but it doesn't go away, none of these ideas fade
baby, there's no pleasure in all these shades of gray

it plays over and over, always the same routine
when I fall asleep, you over take my dreams
now when I'm awake, no part of you can I shake
just what you left behind, lonely memories and this heartbreak

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

shy of the moon

I keep having the same old dream
where waves brake high on violent seas
where wind blows stars out of clear nights
and I drift aimlessly by the shy of the moon

I've read the books to uncover the meaning
to end this nightmare and this voiceless screaming
but clear understanding I am not receiving
as I go down in the undertow by the shy of the moon

all of my prayers and my Christian beliefs
are not a preserver and won't save me
and while my guardian angel sleeps
I go down for the third time
by the shy of the moon

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

crash

we board on separate tarmacs
for this flight to love's sweet haven
in our needing, love not fleeting
we get what we are craving

but somewhere over the mountains
during our span of glorious days
turbulence shakes our foundation
in just too many ways

this flight that took off smoothly
and those break-ups that we cheated
we would have continued unscathed, if only
my heart hadn't crashed at your feet

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

adieu

I'll take just one day
all the time you can spend
all the love you can lend

I'll take just one night
as passion reignites
and my dreams materialize

I'll take these few hours
till morning when we bid adieu
my mind can't stop my heart
from loving you

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

inspire

on a crisp white page
I pen the words
flowing like lyrics
to my favorite song
and you inspire me
to be all I can be
and the simpleness of this
fills my heart

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

moving target

like a bullet through the barrel
hitting the dead-on center
steady on the trigger
as it makes that clicking sound
a full clip loaded in the grip
as I fire another round
it's not close to being finished
cause I'm just getting started

a silhouette on a wire
with circles for my sight
crippling the paper intruder
as I fire each new round
the feeling of power grips me
when I hit my mark
as I pop one in the chamber
firing one right after another

I flip the switch and bring it
closer for me to admire
looking at the clean-through holes
riddled in this paper
I roll up the cardboard
another "picture" for my garage
but what I have discovered is
I can't hit a moving target

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

it doesn't matter

it doesn't matter what I'm feeling
or if the fantasy is done
it doesn't matter when we're together
or when I am alone
it doesn't matter if the dance
lasted longer than the song
it really doesn't matter
it doesn't matter much at all

it doesn't matter that the sweetness
dried up and withered away
it doesn't matter that the illusion
evaporated with the dreams
it doesn't matter that the sleight of hand
was faster than I could see
it really doesn't matter
it doesn't matter much at all

it doesn't matter that I loved you
with the truest conviction
it doesn't matter that it wasn't returned
I held fast with predilection
it doesn't matter that it's over
and the crimson line is drawn
it really doesn't matter
it doesn't matter much at all

it doesn't matter that the stars
glow brighter than the moon
it doesn't matter that the sun
still finds me awake at dawn
it doesn't matter that I don't sleep
cause then you don't appear
it really doesn't matter
to you and now not to me

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

it all just fits

sometimes it all comes together
sometimes it all just fits
it's like finding the lost piece of a puzzle
or maybe it's just kismet

it's like knowing all the answers to Mensa
or the jeans that meet every contour
it's like meeting your favorite entertainer
when he's on the road doing a tour

it's like living a never ending dream
like stock that finally turns a profit
sometimes it all comes together
sometimes it all just fits

yeah, sometimes it all just fits

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

the way you love me

birds soaring way up in my blue sky
flowers are in bloom from the monsoon when it cries
Nina on my MP3, crooning in my ear
I'm feelin good, it's been awhile since my soul was here

ghosts are laying dormant from a not too distant past
the arrow tips on the scale, don't know how long it will last
I know that while I'm in this place, it's all as it should be
I'm feeling the rush, a royal flush, loving the way you love me

I'm loving the way you love me

the sun sets on the horizon, the moon is on the rise
all I see is my reflection, mirrored in your eyes
unadulterated passion and your heart's sincerity
I'm holding fast, hooked really bad, loving the way you love me

I'm loving the way you love me


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

finish line

the thoughts come thick and quickly
racing around my mind
like a metal rabbit on a track
dogs chasing to the finish line
not a single moment
not a single prayer
is coming into motion
usable in my brain's lair

as I dissect the memories
the good and bad that stay
of different times and feelings
that have led me astray
I write another chapter
in this saga of me and you
the book on my night table
with a lot more penning to do

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

a cool breeze

a cool breeze from the mountains
sweetly it comes down
refreshing and reviving
freshness does surround
like the ebbing of the tide
upon the beach I love
like the lyrics that I sing
from one of my favorite songs
with a taste of creme brulee'
a dessert that is my fave
or a prayer that I offer
at the end of my long day
there just aren't enough metaphors
or adjectives to describe
the feelings you bring to me
since you came into my life...
a cool breeze from the mountains
sweetly it comes down
my valley is never greener
than when you are around

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

fortune

don't listen to what they tell you
how much time must pass
the choice is always yours my friend
how long for you it lasts

everyone thinks they know best
they don't mind sharing with you
instead of letting you forget
what meant the world to you

take the time that's needed
but don't stay lost too long
fortune may smile upon you
if you haven't forgotten the song

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

after all the dust settles

it wasn't a song of forever
it was just for a little while
I recognized the strumming
but not the lyrics to the song
you may not like the comments
but I've never steered you wrong

ya need a place with elbow space
an altitude higher than this
where the breeze wafts fair
a breath of fresh clean air
where shadows can rest for awhile
after all this dust settles down
after all this dust settles down

it wasn't a dance of forever
it was just for a little while
you got close, much closer than most
while the tempo played to my heart
and I got caught up in the intrigue
of what could or could not be

it doesn't turn out like it could have
this story took on quite a spin
but I'm benevolent with this ending
after it all finally falls into place
everything as it should be
what's not happening between you and me

ya need a place where it can hide away
where everything is not as appears
where shadows never see the light of day
smoke hiding the tricks in the mirror
after all this dust settles down
after all this dust settles down

you are quite the visionary
you look inside the box
picking and choosing the links you hold
standards of how it should turn out
knowing what I require, that little piece of you
without the absense of truth and doubt
a true friend through thick and thin
the kind that sees all and still hangs in

it will always be a suffix
as it all takes a different turn
a benefit of what good friends need
every little once in awhile
and I'm all good with that
yeah finally, I'm good with that

after all the dust settles down
after all the dust settles down

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