quips

to the east, you read every word
to the north, not a peep is heard
in my heart a deficit 
do I give more than I’ll ever get

on Facebook I leave zinging quips
on twitter, truth seeps from my lips
in between, there lives a gap
filled with lustrous, throaty gasps

in my prose I write with thought
sometimes loved, sometimes not
no music to the lyrics yet
write it soon ‘fore I forget

doubt

so many there before me
like rings inside a tree
each left a different taste behind
on your tongue and memory

how do I climb the ladder
that’s missing too many rungs?
how do I crawl inside the mind
where all the portraits are hung?

some have been deleted
but they left behind a trace
at night when you are sleeping
I can see them in your face

I dream of misconception
until the dawn’s fresh light
the sun shines on refreshment
a chance to get it right

trust lays on the coverlet
but it’s too hot to use
a sheet covers up a body
with one leg moving loose

I throw a log on the fire
lighting a candle so we can see
the shadows flickering slightly
on the wall in front of me

can I erase the legend
that all of them point out?
am I just another flavor
have you any doubts?

short song

running out of time
never words that sometimes rhyme
poetry is my song

hooked

gingerly, you touched the wounds
tracing a line from inside to out
healing what was broken
knowing what was needed
and when
carefully, not applying
any pressure
biding your time
until that exact moment;
the very second I was hooked.
you reeled me in

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

aimless

you couldn't find what you were looking for
not with Suri or any map
not that you were ever
any good at navigation

you seek it
thinking you will recognize it
when it hits you in the face
a collision of thoughts

what if you had it
and you let it escape?
wandering aimlessly from
saguaro to saguaro

blind as a bat

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

denial

I couldn't keep it a secret
I bit my tongue and tried
I waited for you to say it
but it gushed from deep inside
spilling out of places
I'd showed but
tried to hide
now you know the secret
it's too late to deny
you didn't turn and run
instead you fortified
everything I give you
is said, not just implied

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

biking

two wheels on pavement
scenery that stretches miles
long time since I rode

shall we dance?

my dance card is full
every space on every line
all reserved by you

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

Consequence

I was paying attention 

Though that isn’t the way it seems 

This was really all about you 

Though you said it was all about me 

The consequences that are rendered 

From the strong vibes that you gave

Not listening to my feelings 

Feelings I can’t repay 

Not enough time to get it right 

Not enough space for me 

I’m feeling all closed in on 

That’s not how it should be 

Stretching me beyond my means 

Whether that’s your intent or not

I need to separate myself 

Cause this stress is all I’ve got 

Didn’t mean for it to go this far

I’m sorry for any pain 

I may be making a big mistake 

Right now though nothing remains

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

A Star Haiku

A star that rises

Glowing brightly for a time

Before the burn out

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

Addicted Haiku

Ok you got me 

I'm sucked in and addicted 

Rough climb but short fall

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

dust

I sneeze from all of the dust
I pulled things from the past
that were better left undisturbed
what can I say?

most think what one doesn't know
will not hurt you
I think the opposite is true
I would rather know all...
ask the questions...
put it to sleep...

now I lay awake each night
dream the nightmares when I sleep
wondering, wondering
ghosts of the past linger
a black apparition
slinking around my thoughts

I don't know
I don't remember
I don't think so
I thought I did
no resolution

the only feeling

memories come back and they may find me
they don't shine as bright
not like the ones we make today
what once meant something means nothing at all

I'd be lying if I said it didn't mean a thing
it'd be a sin to say it wasn't so
high above what once could have been
on a mountain cloud is where I drift

I'll take being with you a minute in time
over what fades in and out of my head
I'll take stars in your eyes over any moon phase
what we have now is the only place for me

today and tomorrow is what glows brightly
no shadows stretch across this feeling
loving and being loved by you
the only feeling I ever need

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

Play It Safe

Play it safe 

Build a wall 

Protect the heart 

Play it safe 

Think it through

Protect the heart 

Play it safe 

Go with your instinct 

Protect the heart 

Play it safe

Don’t engage

Protect the heart 

Play it safe 

Too much at risk 

Protect the heart 

Play it safe 

Follow rules above 

Be alone forever!

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

i'd rather be:

happy than sad 

glad than mad 

up than down

in than out 

smiling than frowning 

smart than dumb 

hopeful than hopeless 

honest than a cheat

thoughtful than thoughtless 

truthful than a liar 

interesting than dull 

insightful than blind 

courageous than a coward 

sophisticated than naive

knowledgeable than uninformed

deep than shallow 

bold than timid 

conspicuous than invisible 

loving than hating

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

baby, you've got my attention

how'd you do it? you turned my head 

the rest had given me up for dead

maybe they didn't have what it takes 

giving up was a big mistake 

baby, you've got my attention 

how'd you make my heartbeat stop? 

fillin' my cup to the very top 

your boots 'n bike and sweet, sweet kiss

I didn't know it could be like this 

baby, you've got my attention 

how'd you know I'd fall for you?

that look you give that sees right through 

all the windows and doors I've shut 

your fresh breeze that opens them up 

baby, you've got my attention

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

not enough for me

a little bit of missing you 

goes a long, long way 

a little bit of missing your kissing 

leaves me feeling gray 

a little bit of wanting you 

makes me hungrier than you can perceive 

just a little bit of you

just isn't enough for me 

can't imagine not always 

having your love to make my day 

can't imagine the way I ache 

when we are separated 

can't imagine my heart break

or all of those old cliches' 

can't imagine how many times 

those loving moments replay 

it's only been a few hours 

but it feels like days and days 

it's too long to be without you, 

that's what my heart says 

it's too long 'til I see you, 

though it's just a few minutes away 

yeah, a little bit of missing you 

goes a long, long way 

just a little bit of you, 

just isn't enough for me no,

just a little bit of you 

will never be enough for me 

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

the range

from the highest peak 

to the low, cool valley below 

stretched out as far as I can see 

I ride the range of your love 

tumbleweeds blow in the desert wind 

monsoons come with lightning and thunder 

but consistency and a gentleness 

fence in the boundaries of my heart 

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

our picture

on my messy desk 

our picture smiles from its frame 

and so does my heart

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

that day you were born

that day creeps forward...that day you were born 

with memories behind me I've crawled slowly forward

no longer in dreams, nor can I remember your voice 

I remember your words and how you left without choice 

do you rest easy from your cloud in the sky? 

with angels and harps do you see from up high? 

do you watch me and smile or look down in dread? 

can you send me a message when I'm over my head? 

I once thought I lost your little metal tag 

it's off of my keyring secure in my bag 

we may not have always seen eye to eye 

but I always felt your love and will 'til I die 

no time for farewell or even one last kiss 

did you know you were going and what we would miss? 

one last time I viewed you laying cold and still

it plays on this day and always will 

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

footsteps

do I play the smallest part?

footprints left inside your heart 

is there any room for me? 

there, inside of you 

was there once "what could have been?" 

when you see me once again 

I think it's more the other way 

out of sight, out of mind 

forbidden fruit that's always in season 

illicit thoughts there ripe and pleasing 

oozing juices that are sweet 

that is the stuff of many dreams 

did I play the smallest part? 

minuscule footsteps in your heart 

was there ever room for me? 

there, inside your heart

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

in it

on your way to someone else 

we met on a train and did converse 

the things you whispered in my ear 

were meant for no one else to hear 

you kissed me, I kissed you back 

that's when the train went off the track

all has changed for you and me

that is what I'm led to believe 

we play the game without the hurt 

forget the others as we flirt 

and we love without the rules 

forget the others that we fool 

there is only you and I 

and the limit is the sky 

I will take it to the limit 

for this love with you and I in it 

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

so far

so far the path is 

flower strewn and smooth 

so quick come the feelings 

my heart has for you 

so close the lives 

that connect and wind 

so easy the love 

that I sought and now find 

so complete is the way 

I find and I feel 

so distant the past 

now easily healed

so sweet are the dreams 

that now come with the moon

so real in the morning 

when I wake next to you

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

danger?

no danger awaits 

unless the pain of too much love 

is fatal to your heart

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

a new song

love plays a new song 

and it's soft and sweet

although I can't read music 

I feel what's played for me

this beautiful sonnet 

with its own special score 

I hear in my head 

and lock in my heart 

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