a

a simple game 

a lover's lair

a cold spring day

a love affair

a first hug 

a first kiss 

a memory made 

a time of bliss

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

the door left ajar 

were you 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 

do 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

torment

torment, torture, burn in hell 

all of these things locked

within this cell 

I scream, I cry, 

the echoes yell 

the more I purge...

the more that dwell 

I thought that only 

time would tell 

still the scent, the sulfur smell 

I see this yon...a very long spell 

drenched, I drown 

in this deep well

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

angle

you are the stranger 

I wanted to know 

hiding in the shadow 

working your angle

an unseen danger 

to my heart 

but the real you

I still haven't met 

the words I hear 

sweet like honey

thick and vague 

watching what you say 

nothing is conveyed

in all that you do

no one sees

into an opaque you 

protection from all

a feeling arranger 

keeper of the key 

that locks the door

nothing set me free

from any part of you 

you weren't in danger 

of falling in love

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

life

it slips, it slides, it floats away.... 

it's more than I can grasp.. 

I can't wrap my mind around..

how fleeting and how fast

grasping at all these memories

all these thought and all these dreams 

this life and all its sweet repass

soars off on newfound wings

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

addiction

and so it begins 

my withdrawal from addiction 

that causes so much pain 

frustration and confusion 

and as I bounce off 

of these barbwire walls 

I file all the thoughts

because I am that strong

you, the addiction

in over my head

you, the distraction

that filled me with dread

you, a misconception

that caused me to bleed

you, the diversion

I no longer need

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

truth

if what I read 

held any truth

if it was more about me 

and less about you 

if it was less opaque  

the things I contemplate

then maybe, just maybe

things would be great

 

I think it could go

if there were two

less about others 

just me and you 

the things you say

and the things you do

would make the difference

in how things are skewed

I could write the book

on how you think

when it all falls down

I'm pushed to the brink

apologies given

you keep your grip

as insecurities

slowly slip

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

a chosen few

all of this a constant refrain
it rolls around inside my brain
causing hurt and so much pain
nothing ventured, nothing gained
everyday is just the same

wrapped around my hurt is you
telling me it was not true
on and on I read them through
all the things you told me too
practiced on a chosen few

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

another day

I reach for you but you're not there

grabbing at straws; clutching thin air

perhaps I imagined, thought you were real

another dream that is congealed

the dawn is bleak, the raindrops fall

another storm as I recall

making it through the long hard day

dreamless nights, I'm held at bay

what was it like, before the gloom?

with beautiful flowers in full bloom

another day, a long lost time

when I was your and you were mine

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

only a fool

only a fool plays by the rules
it's said beggars can't be choosers
only a gambler has nothing to lose
only a rock's too hard to bruise

more than two can play the game
how many in the end remain?
it somehow doesn't come out the same
when each and all start laying blame

when we take off the velvet gloves
inspecting and examining this thing called love
seeing what it's not or is made of
praying this time it's enough

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

glock

I go to the range
and load my glock
the day I had
still in shock
I load up the clip
with hollow points
gonna use them all
before I leave this joint
there's nothing better
than shooting at the range

it feels so good
in the palm of my hand
squeezing off a round
this feels grand
the hit dead center
right through the heart
I never miss
this, my true art
there's nothing better
than shooting at the range

pretend I'm Fiona
the Burn Notice gal
I think you could be
my sidekick, pal
do you think you can handle
a chick with a gun?
you can load my clip
while I'm having fun
there's nothing better
than shooting at the range

maybe if you're good
I'll give you a bout
to relieve your stress and
get rid of those doubts

no doubt about

the way it feels

see the target

get the chills
there's nothing better
than shooting with you


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

Lucky

You got lucky mister 

Lucky when we met

Lucky in my perceptions 

Lucky in my depths 

Like a fortune in a cookie

Like a gambler at the table 

It’s all on the line 

And destiny’s unstable 

Peeling back the layers 

Getting to the heart 

Uncovering the mysteries 

Of all that’s deep and dark 

A meeting that was chance 

Odds a thousand to one 

You still came out on top 

Obscurity undone 

I Put you on the path 

And turned it all around 

Gave you a new insight 

Put your feet back on the ground 

When all is said and done 

I gave it all to you 

And what you take away 

Is more than what you knew 

Yah, you got lucky 

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

litmus test

a true litmus test 

turning me deep crimson red 

a beautiful shade

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

carry on

we carry on
when it all comes down
there's more thunder than rain
our dreams lay in shards
we carry on

we carry on
through the reality of it all
more fable than fairytale
more investment than return
when it all starts to shatter
we carry on

we carry on
because the sun will still shine
a silver lining to be seen
after the storm's rage
tomorrow will come
and it will be a better day
we carry on

match

every dream, every chance
you burned them all
with just one match
brushing against
memories once sweet
incinerated ash
laying at your feet

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

we

you make me laugh
you make me sing
you promise the world
and all good things
seven months
a milestone for me
it keeps getting better
now that I is we

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

Slow Down Haiku

You need to slow down 

Pull back, kick back, don't look back 

it's time to relax!

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

maybe

maybe I should have fought harder 

maybe I should have been smarter

maybe it should never have started 

maybe we should stay apart 

maybe, maybe, maybe 

maybe we should not have met 

maybe I shouldn't have left 

maybe I will have regrets

maybe I will never forget 

maybe, maybe, maybe

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

ride on

ride on 

ride on 

moving out of here 

dream on 

dream on 

all the dreams are gone 

stay strong 

stay strong 

getting through some how

 

moving on, 

moving on

using all my strength

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

laundry

feelings hung to dry 

like laundry on the line 

emotion and despair 

stains are retained there 

sometimes the spots that remain 

freckled, flecks of pain 

splattered all across 

don't come out in the wash

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

left behind

how do I know 

what to leave behind 

what I'll no longer need 

in this future of mine 

what if what was left 

was what I needed  

and it can't be retrieved 

because the history's deleted

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

ambrosia

passion comes
cherry sweet
juicy kisses
the taste and smell
of ambrosia

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

forget the math

I want to make it easier 

stop over analyzing, 

more compromising 

one and one doesn't always equal two 

gonna stop putting up walls 

let it out of the box 

erase the lines that I drew 

I want to take it easier 

take it as it comes

push the envelope some

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

storm

your storm ravages my heart

the lightening flashes from your eyes 

the thunder of your voice 

the hurricane force winds 

of the words you hurl, 

cutting and deep 

intended to inflict and destruct 

the storm rages through the night 

no protection, no shelter 

and in the morning, all is calm

the storm has passed, 

but not without devastating my spirit

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

drops on the tile

sometimes, good things pass 

spilling like wine from a glass 

hurrying to contain it too fast 

missing the drops on the tile 

although, I take it slow 

looking for secrets I don't know 

the extinguishing inner glow 

disguised in crescent moonlight 

reflecting on what I see 

and all you once meant to me

doubt now plants its seed 

a vision of hidden perception

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