exclamation

When I was a little girl
Playing with dolls and siblings
Wanted to be Barbie because
She had Ken and all the cool stuff
An image for a perfect future

When I was a teen and my life expanded
Hanging with my friends at the Freeze
Weekends full of dances and dates
Driving a stick and sleeping in late
My future was an algebra equation

When I was in my twenties
Had the world by the tail
A golden time, everything shiny and new
Happy with life, family, you
My future was a dream

Those days are long past
I am at a crossroad with no clear sign
Sometimes feeling like a child again
Kiss the hurt mom, make it disappear
My future is a question mark

Can you give me what I need?
Can you be what I’m looking for?
Can you kiss the hurt and make it heal?
Can you erase the question mark?
Leaving instead an exclamation!

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

draw

is this how the story ends?
another tragic love affair
where everything right turns wrong
just another sad, sad song

I held on much too long
to a dream that didn't hold back
cupid shoots but is off with his aim
always a loser in every game

is this how the story ends?
the distance grows on either side
loving you was always hard
I guess we call the end a draw

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

strings

no strings that held you to me
nothing that tied you here
just the pounding of my heart
resonating in my ears

the circle that forms around you
I've now stepped away from
moving left of your center
out of your peripheral zone

that blood red line you drew
traced from a heart that seeped
a fortress to be rebuilt
as love makes it's retreat

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

all that is

I have finally reached that place
that eluded me in the past
I have climbed the mountains
fought my demons
released what wasn't
for all that now is

as you take my hand
walking with me side by side
beauty and grace shine down from above
serenity and love abound
in this place we walk...
this beautiful side of someday

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

opaque

opaque wonder
lighting and thunder
all because of you

questions of the heart
that always seem to start
whenever I’m with you

kindred spirits roam
distance, far from home
thinking about you

hide it all away
starting a new day
moving south of you

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

I loved him

beyond rhyme and reason
I loved him
not from the first second
that we met
but soon after
I tried hard
not to fall
but the feelings overtake
all thoughts
are of him
my heart
beating a song
of love
unrequited

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

a heart now free

there for you
here for me
on the level
it needs to be

going slow
an easy pace
there’s no hurry
no rat race

connecting hearts
a bond that grows
learning all
we need to know

there for you
here for me
a heart unlocked
a heart now free

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

Doubts (KRL)

You are in a different place
And you have a lot of doubts
Not the same place
Where you started out

Seven years passed
And they left their mark
The happiness fades
And you’ve lost your spark

Tried to work through
The stress and strife
Didn’t give up
On the fantasy life

But it all hits home
And what do you do?
Try to move on
Like I taught you

Pick yourself up
File it away
Living it all
Day to day

The sun will shine
Eventually you’ll see
That all that is left
Are just memories

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

castles

the castles I built
when I was young
diminished by tide
and setting suns

carefree youth
days long past
happy times
not meant to last

the child disappears
with the ebbing tide
leaving questions
fears that hide

a façade of strength
to get you through
most times not knowing
what to do

the hour glass
with sand now spilled
a jaded life
not what you willed

longing for youth
ever the child
building castles
in your mind

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

a jewel

adamant, and rare
dazzling, multifaceted
working out the flaws

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

Maze

My friends ask “how you doing”?
And I tell them that I’m fine
Although I’m a ship that’s sinking
Like the Titanic of past times

I smile and nod and say hello
Pretend that all is well
My life is now a big, black hole
With all my pain it’s filled

How do I snap out of this
A month of lonely days
Life’s not the same without you
My life is like a maze

No will to drive me forward
Hopeless, discouraged, bleak
And seeing you with your new girl
Really left me weak

You moved on so quickly
And I think - when will I
Don’t want to think about it
It just makes me cry

Please don’t worry about me
Someday I’ll move on
It’s just to soon to think right now
But I know you’re really gone

Empty

I’m wondering how
This all came to be
Was I a fool to think
That you once loved me?

Your actions seemed true
You said the right words
The whispers of promise
Was all that I heard

My spirit now shaky
My heart aches with pain
Empty without you
Nothing's the same

The tears won’t come
No more to be shed
Not looking anymore
For something that’s dead

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

Shelter From The Storm

Leave your cares and all the fears
Let me hold you, keep you near
In a place that’s safe and warm
I’ll be your shelter from the storm

In my arms you will be secure
Leaving things that are unsure
Your heart and soul will be transformed
I’ll be your shelter from the storm

Let me sooth your weary brow
Give you peace, what you need now
This is magic I can perform
I’ll be your shelter from the storm

Close your eyes and lay with me
I’ll be what you need me to be
Lay with me until the morn
I’ll be your shelter from the storm

I’ll watch over you as you dream
Dreaming of all the better things
In my arms you're safe and warm
I’ll be your shelter from the storm

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

bury the hope

touching down, getting off the plane
I am home but nothing's changed
feel the same as when I went
still don’t know just what it meant

questions remain, feelings too
no understanding of me and you
bury the hope, bury the pain
and anything else that still remains

carry on just like before
when you closed the revolving door
hide the truth from those that see
doing what's best for only me?

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

time

as youth and beauty slowly fade
a black and white reel from yesterday
the blossom falling from the flower
while the clock ticks away the lonely hours

all the innocence seeped away
painted with a brush that’s somewhat jaded
a mirror reflection of who we were
looking back a likeness blurred

the image not at all the same
deterred by the game as on it played
wondering where the good life went
now that we are old and spent

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

fightin the urge

you know that you want me
you keep tryin to fight the urge
but you’re thinkin all about it
I’m buried too deep to purge
we keep on comin back for more
we like it the way it is
you keep on toyin with me
we both keep playin with this
there are no set rules here
we play it as it comes
makin the connection
while we’re both on the run
it adds to the excitement
this innuendo is not boring
it just heightens the passion
that keeps my spirits soaring
I’m not askin for more
than you’re able to render
just let me know
if i am a contender

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

That Side Of Hell

There are secrets buried in darkness
Some things I’ve buried deep
Things that I’ve told no one
Things I have to keep

A cavernous place inside my soul
Where secrets try to swim to the top
But I can turn my mind off
When I need to make them stop

No one will I tell them to
With no one will I share
The abyss of fear and old ghosts
That haunts and causes despair

The façade I’ve built is very strong
Constructed with truth and light
So opaque that no one will see through
These thoughts that keep me up nights

I keep a lock on that dark place
Push it deep where it belongs
I’ve come to terms with that side of hell
Once I was able to move on

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

Desperado

An aimless desperado
A cowboy dressed in black
Leaving a trail behind you
And never looking back

Spurred on by inner longing
A drive that keeps you strong
No ties that you can cling to
When the night is long

Unforgiving days of desert heat
No water to quench your thirst
Nothing that will hold you
Till you exercise that curse

Searching, never finding
And still the trail leads on
A duel between the heart and mind
A fight that won’t be won

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

Flicker

Like the flickering of a candle
A fire that burns and glows
A passion that burns brightly
Lit by what you show

The warm stroke of your searching hands
Touching deeply, stirring me
Kisses long and lingering
As my fire you release

While the candle slowly burns
We reach the fervor pitch
Intense, extreme, nirvana
In this our special niche

After loving moments
When we drift off to sleep
Your arms wrapped around me
Your breathing slow and deep

Night will fade into the dawn
But we will stay this way
And start another morning
After this has been replayed

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

at one with the sea

i am at one with the sea
the warm sun tans my skin
and bleaches my hair golden

the ebbing tide taking away
despair and doubt, all to come
rushing back with the flow

solitary footsteps on the beach
reminding me that i am alone,
but calm and at peace

the waves wash over me
cleansing my soul
making me whole

if i could only stay here
forever, basking in the warmth,
the sea, serenity

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

Comfort

The comfort of things
That you love and you know
Deep there inside you
The heart's inner glow

The love that surrounds you
Your spirit it calms
The heart that you hold
That says you belong

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

Empty Space

I reach out to touch you
and clutch empty space
another day like the last
with the same old heartache

months since you left me
each day passes slow
as I wander through hours
with no inner glow

you had brought back something
I forgot I had missed
from that very first moment
that very first kiss

back now where I started
before you were here
no longer to hold me
and cradle me near

like a cancer unfeeling
the wounds are so deep
unable to concentrate
unable to sleep

and the weeks go so slowly
my world at a halt
this coma won't recede
till the questions resolve

so I face new dilemmas
one day at a time
although it was easier
when I thought you were mine

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

Remember Me

You’ll remember me
And all I inspired
When you think of me
And how I lifted you higher

You’ll remember me
The footsteps were small
You’ll miss what we had
And I how I gave you all

You’ll remember me
And the calls that were late
You’ll wish you’d paid attention
To the hints that I gave

You’ll remember me
My passion and kiss
A future that was yours
And what you now miss

You’ll remember me
And a love that was true
When you think back on it all
What I gave to you

You’ll remember me
Who now has your back?
Who’s in your corner?
Who’s taken up the slack?

You’ll remember me
Cause I movin too
It's not to be closer
It's away from you

You'll remember me
And what might have been
If given the chance
If you'd just let me in

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

The Sea Knows

I look behind me now
At my footsteps in the sand
Alone on this deserted beach
My thoughts are my companion

The tide is ebbed, it's way far out
The sun is getting low
A calmness coming over me
With each gentle wave that rolls

This time of deep reflection
Under the sun's soft light
Resolving inner conflicts
That haunt my days and nights

And the evening comes in gently
As I retrace my path
The twinkling stars and lunar glow
Showing the way back

And the sea gives up no secrets
Though many it does know
On all my walks on this smooth beach
It's the sea that I have told

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

Short List

I thought that you were different
I might've been wrong about you
I took you as someone who cares about me
You mistake me for a fool

I may not be on your short list
In the top one or two or three
But I have a lot of patience
And I’m there when you need me to be

I am always watching your back
And help you when I can
But what you have given back to me
I really don’t understand

I know your life is busy
Mine is the same way
But give me a little break here
And let me know we are okay

It’s not that I am needy
Or expect you at beck and call
But ignoring and being indifferent
Is not what I deserve at all

You need to look a lot deeper
At what I have given here
And be a little more attentive
And be a lot less austere

It won’t take that much time from you
Just treat me with a little more care
I will always be in your corner
Can't you feel me there?

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