clairvoyant

in the smooth sand down by the sea
you all but declare your love for me
you tell me there's an easier way
then you try to illustrate...after,
tellin me I'm not part of your plan
sayin "I'm not the man you think I am"

I never issued an ultimatum
didn't quote the rules verbatim
never told you that I would not wait
never turned my back or walked away
gave you lots of latitude
while you were givin me attitude
tellin me I'm not part of your plan
sayin "I'm not the man you think I am"

how would you know with one quick look
you opened the cover, didn't read the book
you thought me solid, our time was bouyant

you were never that clairvoyant
while on the sand you take my hand
and we waltz off to our own band
you walk away like a nomad
a rerun of all of the stuff you had

you told me I'm not part of your plan
said "I'm not the man you think I am"
but you are wrong, I thought I saw
the reasoning for your hidden flaws
I fell in love before it frayed
but all of that is yesterday

I never issued an ultimatum
didn't quote the rules verbatim
never told you I would not wait
never turned my back in haste
gave you lots of latitude
while you were givin me attitude
tellin me I'm not part of your plan
sayin "I'm not the man you think I am"

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

May 28

another year creeps

will I rejoice or tears seep?

still lessons to learn

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

??

still left blank after all this time

not even one riddle or a

well versed rhyme

was it to assuage?

or a lethargic mind

letting it smolder then fade?

It now matters not...

the smoke and mirrors

of the well written plots

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

far away, long ago

far away, long ago
still, there glows an ember
what my heart
once longed to know
a love it yearns to remember...

far away, long ago
there was a song
that someone sang
what my ears
want again to hear
a dance it yearns to remember...

far away, long ago
someone held me safe and warm
hearts entwined for a short time
while drops fell from a silver storm
a rain it yearns to remember...

far away, long ago
what once held fast
has been let go
love slipped away on a moonless night
empty thoughts still holding on
a dream it yearns to remember...

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

castle

a castle built of salt and sand
endless dreams and hopes that span
build it tall
away from the wall
of the tide when it neaps in

lovers walk, on this thin strand
where the moated castle stands
no longer perfect like it began
the winds and tides have done it in
washing it to sea

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

wings to fly

snap a photograph of every memory that comes
post them in a album, compress them all to one
give them wings to fly in the azure sky above
exploring every option before you commit to love

is this where you want to be, beneath the mountain peaks?
resting in the valley, of hope and heart's belief
forsaking all the others, as you rest your weary head
your boots have found a home, underneath the bed

snap a photograph of every memory that remains
hang them on this wall, all neatly matted and framed
give your heart the wings to fly in the azure sky above
and nest here in this valley, while you plant the seeds of love

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

lost

I got lost in your eyes
lost in your touch
lost in all that I wanted too much
and I traveled alone
down this path that I chose
dreams paved of fantasy and of gold

I'm not really clear
how long I've been here
but I'm and here I remain
and as you try so hard
not to step on my heart
your boot prints are there just the same

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

achoooo

spring blows its way in

allergies are here to stay

Claritin for me

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

us

here on this cracked pavement 

underneath a golden moon

I open up my heart again

this time it will not bruise 

I've had a few false starts 

sometimes the bottom has dropped 

this time on this golden path 

there's no signals to make me stop 

I believe that love can happen, 

tomorrow might make me weep 

there's nothing to hold me back 

the reward is much too sweet 

it may not come tomorrow 

it may not come today

it may be around the corner 

you can't win if you don't play 

I'm sweeping out the cobwebs

I'm blowing off the dust 

I'm kicking down this door 

I'm ready for me to be us

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

out to sea

as promises get swept away 

under the front door mat 

dreams hang like cobwebs 

in the corner of tomorrows

conviction is in second place 

a runner up to this heartbreak 

reasoning floats out to sea 

thought I knew it all, 

I guess now I know better 

I lay awake reflecting on this 

we came far, but had further to go 

as the dust settles on the past 

unsung songs echo in memory 

a compact disc of what could have been

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

epic: for RAJ

what I was looking for was but a fragment
a very small fragment of what I found
hidden amongst the clutter
of broken dreams and hearts
I found you

epic:  resplendent, splendiferous, 
not enough adjectives to describe
although I read them all
with thoughts of each
and rejected them as lacking

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

plight

for dreams that dissipate
much too soon
hanging like cobwebs
in deserted rooms
for hopes unanswered
on a moonless night
longing's, emptiness
forever in sight
for loneliness
that won't ever abate
the empty heart
where it resonates
I say a prayer
a candle I light
till you are delivered
from this deep plight

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

flight

at 5,000 feet I was miserable
that I didn't get to see you

at 7,000 feet I was angry
that you don't answer my texts

at 12,000 feet I was happy
that a message did come thru

at 30,000 feet I was sorry
that we had ever met

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

glimmer

a glimmer isn't coming

your hand held steady not tipped 

silence--others watching

your cards close to your chest 

stoic, no twitch or tremor

never betraying what you hold 

the stakes are slowly building

my ante will not come

one more chance to beat you

one more winner take all

I look at the flush you dealt me

and then I quickly fold

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  

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 my insecurities

slowly slip

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

BREAK

Beside the disillusion
Rendering unclear thoughts
Each of us are hurting
And wondering if we can re-
Kindle everything we've lost

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

voyage

the horizon is endless
a lone ship at sea
passage for one
an intolerable feat

navigation by stars
like the days of old
just constant drifting
nights of rain and cold

no lighthouse to guide me
no havens on this tide
treacherous rocks and sandbars
along the windward side

tired of this journey
tired of manning this helm
tired of fighting the current
tired of being overwhelmed

sleep that forsakes me
dreams that won’t come
nightmares by day
for a soul that is numb

will this voyage ever end?
can salvation be near?
will I find a safe harbor?
or will I disappear?

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

undisturbed

I push past the reasons 

and all expectations
no comparisons or judging, 

unexpected gyrations
you do your best 

with all that is offered
while I pack my bags 

and head for the border

call me or don't, 

script it or not
don't fill me with songs, 

that you once forgot
sing from your heart 

or don't sing at all
dance with me once 

or fill my dance card

hike up the mountains 

for a much grander view
once you get there, 

there's nothing that's new
drink from your bottle 

but it won't quench the thirst
the knowledge is power 

that bruises and hurts

you thought that you loved 

and all was so easy
but it leaves you numb 

and feeling more queasy
the one that you want 

boards a plane for the coast
and there goes your heart 

with a lot of your ghosts

the one by your side 

that hangs on your word
is silently sleeping 

and lays undisturbed
your mind wanders to things 

better left unsaid
laying in piles 

like leaves that are dead

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

never to be heard

you stood there in the shadow
watched without a word
saw where I was heading
thought my vision blurred
wondering and waiting
thought it all absurd
shifting in the darkness
never to be heard

you thought that I was making
the biggest mistake of all
shaking your head in wonder
ready to catch my fall
and just when you were thinking
that this would be the day
I spread my wings discovering
that I could fly away
Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

silent legacy

you just can't understand
you wonder what went wrong
shake your head in misery
you knew it all along
you saw it in a movie
you've seen it on the streets
hear it in the lyrics
as your blood begins to heat

so good at indefinable
so good at concealing too
so good at using shadows
yet you wonder why you're blue
you're praying in the darkness
for redemption on your knees
begging for forgiveness
from this silent legacy

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

shoot

you like to text 

and you are a hoot 

you own a Harley

and like to shoot 

you like country music 

play the guitar too 

we can ride the Harley 

when we go to shoot

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

Harley

a horse of a different color
chaps of a different kind
wrap my legs around you
as I climb on behind
Sundays on the Harley
a favorite of mine

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

moldy stuff

deep within the things that I hold
stay there forever, and sometimes mold
in contemplation, complexities lay
part of who I am on this day

way, way down where no light can shine
too much salt in an 8 hour brine
don't stir too much, a little will do
that's what I felt, when I was with you

standing on one leg, ready to tip
what did the job, was a kiss from your lips
not so much filling, as a minuscule snack
that will leave me hungry long 'fore I get back

but I digress, water under a bridge
that looks far off when I stand on the ridge
turning my back, I start the trek down
hoping all this shit will eventually drown

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

easy seas

deep in the valley

lost loves linger,

when the moon is full

and coyotes howl

echoes of trouble purge forth.

what I thought I had found,

my true soul mate,

gone and once thought forgotten.

as droplets fall on dry wash.

thunder claps

and lightning flashes

burrows it deep again

fog, like a soft blanket,

covers easy seas.

as memories recede

my bewitched mind

will rest again

with tomorrow's dawn

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

Irish lass

I'm an Irish lass, I can be fun
but hold a grudge
longer than anyone

man, do I freckle
under blazing sun
eyes of green
from a loved one

I love taters
but they don't love me
they cluster on my hips
as you can see
so does bread
I'd have to agree
this wasn't a problem
I could every foresee

I would love a castle 
where I could lay my head
when the day was long
here at my desk

all would be fine
I would write my songs
odes and lyrics
how could that go wrong?

on this now warm, St. Patty's day
I think of those
who've passed away
Grandpa Ferrell
who did purvey
my Irish roots
that're here to stay

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