never look back

she smiled the kind meant only for him
returned by what is now a blur
she looked into eyes  both vacant and cold
what he saw spoke volumes in hers

her thoughts were plentiful, all of them rhymed
his were his own, disingenuous at best
he wrote ideas that excluded her love
she wrote wishes that were not blessed

when last they parted, she knew they were done
he speculated that they'd always go on
to continue a future as friends with a past
she went her way; never looked back

unsigned text sent to keep her confused
not how it works, she is more amused
she told him all would abandon some day

but she was first to get clean away

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

another time

in the woods by a large lake
amongst grey wolves and rattlesnakes
with heavy rocks that make your bed
where you'd want to lay your head

buried deep without remorse
it really was my only course
it's where you said you'd want to stay
wouldn't want it another way

your head lays soft on leaves and pine
it's rather like a lost love shrine
I visit once in a great while
feeling the breeze which is your smile

trout swim happy in their pool
you can see the many schools
unable to drop that one last line
that was from another time

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

love looks good on me

my friends say I look different
have I changed my hair?
is that a brand new shirt?
or am I dressing with new flair?
they don't know the half of it
if they looked deep they'd see
it's the love I feel inside
that looks so good on me

it's not my Calvin Klein
or my new Michael Kors
it's not Vera Wang
it's the heart that once was yours
shining from deep within
with everything I wear
your love looks good on me
and that's what makes them stare

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

olly, olly oxen free

we rattled the windows
then scared the dog
running naked
in the hall
playing games
of hide and seek
but what we hide
ain't for the weak

laughing so hard
we almost cry
I touch yours
and you touch mine
olly, olly, oxen free
I love these games
'tween you and me

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

in tact

I took a pass
what little you offered
not nearly enough
what I wanted--needed
was an abundance
not just a little,
however well intended
still....
not enough, or even close

so, I sit here on my ranch
horses running free
like me
running from what was
or not meant to be
relishing the fact
that I got clean away
grace in tact
heart healed

you circle back
from time to time
not understanding that
what you thought
would last forever...
that you knew me that well
when in fact,
if you remember,
you didn't know me at all

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

grateful heart

thankful and blessed with all I have
belly full and loved ones about
laughing with friends, my heart is full
I take in what I give out

sun sets early, moon shines bright
weather warm, a patio dine
prepared food by hearts that give
mulling it over with fine white wine

every night before I sleep
I thank the Lord for all received
naming each with grateful heart
I wouldn't change a single thing

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

debris

you burned your bridge to light your path
not worrying about the aftermath
debris falls thickly all around
you knee deep on tilted ground

I guess you thought you could get by
the smoke and mirrors that you supplied
the sleight of hand another trick
you thought that it was pretty slick

manipulations, I see through
I played along to bolster you
but, however, I wasn't blind
knew I'd leave when I had time

the years have come and gone so quick
I don't miss what wouldn't fit
you gave up more than you could know
in your childish rush to go

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

nothing

Nothing compares with the feeling I get

The sound of your voice, 

the gleam in your blue eyes 

And that smile

I melt from your touch

Putty in your hands

That's me

No, nothing could ever compare

To what I've found

This life we share

Nothing could ever compare

To you

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

naming names

a good poem, talks in rhyme
you say it doesn't, that's just fine
generic reasons, draw them in
people think, it's all about them

a good poem, makes people think
smearing pages with dry ink
not a waste from where I sit
think the thoughts, make them fit

the one behind the slammed shut door
won't see themselves, in metaphors
but I write them just the same
without fault or naming names

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

put away

day after day turns into a month
three years in and we're still broke
tried to tell you how it'd be
before I left and set you free

time after time, the chances piled
in the corner dirty and worn
no mending that can fix this mess
it's just life, a great big test

we danced once and had some fun
dizzy from a board of tiles
one was truer, more than you
dancing better than you do

music ends, the partners leave
dance card full of better things
I told you it would come to this
and I was something that you'd miss

midwest summers come to end
winter comes and freezes it
in the mountain shadowed days
all those thoughts I've put away

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

the weight

I told you the day would come
the time would be right
not that I made light of it
thinking seriously
the pros and cons
the highs and lows
(although, you would state
no provocative reason
for the decision)

snip, snip, snip
I cut the tie
that long distant cord,
connecting, slender tether
gone...

proceeding forward,
heart--light
weight--gone
smiling and happy
with my choice

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

now and again

every now and again
when the wind is blowing just right
I hear the music playing
like it did our very first night
maybe it's just the mesquite
or the call of the nightingale
but I know I can hear it
and I think I always will

when billowy clouds are forming
in the eastern morning sky
I think I see you looking
with those crystal clear blue eyes
and if I squint mine tightly
I think I catch your wink
maybe it just the sun's glare
or you're closer than I think

I can smell the raindrops
and all the flowers that bloom
I can hear the music
that I first heard with you
I can hear you singing
in that perfect pitch
I still get the feeling
that I want much more of this

no longer are there messages
that you used to text
my phone no longer ringing
and this I truly miss
while you're slaying your dragons
mine won't leave me alone
you don't miss what you don't have
'cause you're not coming home

many things left here waiting
the papers are stacking up
no longer sharing coffee
you took your favorite cup
the dust settled on the floorboards 
with all you left behind
I could see our future
but I think that you were blind

I can smell the raindrops
and all the flowers that bloom
I can hear the music
that I first heard with you
I can hear you singing
in that perfect pitch
I still get the feeling
that I want much more of this

yes, I still get the feeling
that I want much more of this

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

lazy?

procrastination 

putting off till tomorrow

the stuff that you can

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

promise to keep

she wanders the house

from room to room

moonlight shines

in the dark gloom

a mist of a girl

from long ago

gone is everyting

she use'd to know

she checks on the family

all sound asleep

ponders, remembers

memories that seep

all faded now

like flowers that die

but when they sweep over

she mournfully cries

dawn breaks the clouds

she goes through the wall

doesn't know she's a spirit

she doesn't recall

eternity of guarding

the family that sleeps

this is her bidding

her promise to keep

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

tender

you didn't need to answer
I already knew
that they were fools
for letting you go
taking away
more than what you offered
which was everything
crushing your soul
in the process
giving not much
of themselves
selfish, they were
I will tender
more than what is asked
subtracting any heartache
investing my love
with immense returns
in our future

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

shake it off

there's more to being a cowboy
than living way out west
wearing those wrangler jeans
and that funny, fringed suede vest
your Ariat cowboy boots
that white, straw cowboy hat
there's more to being a cowboy
we'll just see about that

you're never riding the range
don't even own a horse
that's not all it takes
I know this of course
you know nothing of roping
or how to dog a steer
those funny midwest ways
have made this very clear

you can call us ma'am
from morning until dusk
you can talk to cactus
while you're shaking off the dust
you can sing those country songs
with lyrics you don't know
but you are not a cowboy sir
you need to let that go

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

always

you stand in my corner
watching my back
and I know
no one can hurt me
nothing can touch me
they would have to
contend with you
always

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

coin toss

what happens now?
your future love secure
the shadow laying dormant
and the door left ajar
successful in separating
the fact from the fiction
without delving too deep
and causing more friction

one heart secure
the other wild and free
one strokes your mind
the other stokes your needs

you finally read the book
from cover to cover
solve all the mystery
see what's uncovered
the choice always yours
as you flip the quarter
is it heads or tails?
is it friend, is it lover?

one heart secure
the other wild and free
one strokes your mind
the other stokes your needs

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

wait and see

bright and shiny, like a new penny
strong and bitter like day old coffee
some say that, we're not better off
I say let's just wait and see

one can win, always a loser
there is nothing that you can do
root for one, despise the other
I say let's just wait and see

don't draw a line too deep in sand
don't turn your back on what we need
wait for the reason, before you scoff
I say let's just wait and see

healing may take a long time to come
what we need isn't that far off
I'm on board with ticket in hand
I say let's just wait and see

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

F word

that's right, I say it

sometimes when I'm so angry

the F word just works! 

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

coffee

as soon as it hits my bloodstream
my thoughts organize
the fog lifts from my brain
I am awake
my hands twitch
after the third
I don't care!
where would I be
if I didn't have
this magnificent
morning drug
a pick me up in the afternoon
a rev my engine miracle
ah, coffee!


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

the best thing

You were wearing a yellow shirt
sit next to me and we start to flirt
my favorite bar in my favorite town
life was dull before you came around

you're the best thing  I've ever done
two is better than only just one
I guess I knew right from the start
you'd be the one to steal my heart

my leg accidently touches your knee
a current of violent electricity
ravages my body and you feel it too
my mind spinning in this crowded room

you're the best thing that I've ever done
two is better than only just one
I guess I knew right from the start
you'd be the one to steal my heart

I'm at a loss, should have known how'd be
truth be told, it's a two way street
I must admit I  don't understand
why I lose my head even holding your hand

you're the best thing that I've ever done
two is better than only just one
I guess I knew right from the start
you'd be the one to steal my heart

There's no explanation, or simple excuse
For intoxication I feel around you
during the day and from dusk till dawn
every month and all year long

you're the best thing that I've ever done
two is better than only just one
I guess I knew right from the start
you'd be the one to steal my heart

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

mon amour

voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir
me tenir fermer et m’aimer
je vous donnerai toute ma passion
Je vous offre une durée de vie de l’amour
voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir
tout ce que j’ai est le vôtre


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

all about you

it wasn't food I was hungry for
it was something with no calories
you would have expended them though
it was food for thought I needed
and as usual, I got what I wanted
thoughts as deep as Voltaire,
mind games
I can play them with the best
but you...you took my thoughts
tossing them aside as fruitless
nothing to do with you
when in fact, it WAS about you
always; every time;
all about you

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

very, very

if I had one cent
each time you said "I love you"
I would be wealthy

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