last breath

when it rained, it came it sheets
I was drenched from head to feet
no shelter close to help affection
feelings drown without protection

next comes windchill down to bone
howling, swirling, on it groans
in my mind I now avow
this is the end, right here and now

but on and on and on it goes
day and night I do not doze
ever watchful and alert
my will now I shall assert

without nourishment it shall die
relationships ebb with swollen lies
it will die a lonely death
sighing with its very last breath

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

luck of the draw

I drew the cards
a game of chance
I should have known
the deck was stacked
your poker face strong
as you called my bluff
was it sleight of hand
or luck of the draw
either way, it was
always your call
and I leave the table
with nothing at all

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

recipe

one cup questions

two tablespoons of faith 

three teaspoons of love 

a smidgen of heartbreak 

one part truth

sift out the lies 

stir the feeling 

a tear from my eye 

set the oven 

see what it makes 

when it is done 

it is still half baked

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

what lays dead

I know you think, it was all a waste
years together now erased
signing your name on a dotted line
but you recall, a different time

healing eludes your heart right now
wounds still fresh from shattered vows
each day packing hopeless hurt
each night leaving you inert

inward screams, outward cries
trying to find the answer why
box it up, stick it under your bed
say a prayer for what lays dead

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

my day

today is the day, that I was born
I grew up quick and grew up strong
Midwest upbringing, instilled beliefs
no one can take it away from me

texts from my family and so many friends
wishes on facebook happily penned
Instagram happiness coming in too
and a great dinner with close ones and you

as I grow older, I've now realized
what is the truth or what has been lies
happy; content with what has been blessed
couldn't ask for more or would settle for less

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

gone away

a candle lit in solitude
prayers prayed in gratitude
a heart in mourning for past days
of love that's here, then gone away

the candle flickers with the breeze
rustling loudly through mesquite
flickering, making shadows loom
soft but stagnant in this room

what was the thing that brought me here?
what were the options laying my soul bare?
another day when it mattered much
out of reach and out of touch

and yet the grace that is foretold
lifting my heart, enlightening soul
all past loves now lay to rest
and journey out for their own quest

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

effervescence

all of these things that I chase around
that bumps and rattles inside of my heart
noises and voices, illusions of choice
soft-coated songs with a velvet alibi

these things that take root here deep inside
weeds that suffocate the blossoms nearby
fragrant petals falling down one by one
runners choking each with a little white lie

if I can block out the buzz of what is 
that effervescence with all of its fizz
it tickles inside as I drink it down
gritty remainders on my crystal glass

as the moon works its phases through each of my nights
as a new star glows brightly on my evening sky
what once rose high with the sun to my east
has now settled softly somewhere in the west

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

green-eyed monsters

I can’t see around the corners
or what in darkness prevails
but I hear the thuds and bumps at night
and the swoosh from the monster’s tail
I smell the stench of aggressions
that putrid, awful  perfume
it permeates my weaknesses
my senses reel in this room

my eyes can’t see before me
this gloom is way too thick
if I could find some matches
I’d light the candle’s wick
green-eyed is its make-up
and while it lays in wait
no activity for weeks and weeks
as it hones its cheating game

trusting is the flag I wave
virtuous and white
blinding in the daytime
fluorescent in the night
a love that doesn’t grow on trees
or on a prickly vine
am I growing like moss upon you?
or wasting precious time

one last shot to get it right
once more I offer a chance
watching, waiting on I go
doing this sweet, sweet dance
I’ll slay the monsters, one by one
I’ll be the only one left
I’ll stand here just as long I can
drying the tears I’ve wept

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.