the stand

all I see in the distance
as I focus on it all
the last part of my resistance
stumbles now and falls
you won't meet opposition
from all the disparate strands
I'm taking my position
getting ready to make my stand

from a shrouded heart and shadowed soul
I watch as this unfolds
an unstable situation
that leaks from the usual mold
all I've seen and what I've read
ain't even the tip of the iceberg
and as I strolled down memory lane
the nightingale's all I heard

through fog of contradiction
on an ocean of salty tears
I admired the reflection
a dim light that disappears
careful always of what you say
in case reality should offend
as you sit and watch your soul decay
from the start to the bitter end

wearily I watched you
break chains to be set free
no chance at a storybook ending
not ever between you and me
strained are the limits of compassion
it's a wound that never mends
honesty was never in fashion
it wasn't in the cards my friend

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

Richter

when love starts to rattle and shake 

there is really no safe place 

as your heart splits down the center 

a deep, bleeding crevice rendered 

pieces left all over the place

tears of sadness on my face 

a quake of horrific magnitude 

rocking all that's left of you 

love that is built on a fault-line 

will never stand the test of time 

7.0 scored on the Richter 

reduced to ash and cinder

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

wreckage

we mature with the wreckage

not with tears or years

the things our mind tells us

overcoming all fears

forging ever onward

brief stops on our way

that's how we move onward

and get through the days

losing the baggage

maybe keeping one tote

keeping a journal

with all of our notes

maybe some therapy

if that's what you need

to empty the sorrows

on which your heart feeds

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

lines

between rocketing dreams

and the lowest lines

so much is done

not to leave it behind

It's the dragon you feed,

the debt that comes due

was it worth the price

of ownership to you?

Hope slips away

as greed takes its place

it doesn't take long

to fall from His Grace

and when you look back

at your wreckage and ruin

you can't say that you

didn't know what was brewing

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

grace falls short

it really wouldn't have been that hard
now it's tossed like a salad with swiss chard
a bitter taste that is left behind
I think I must've been out of my mind

you, whom I gave the best of care
wreckage created with utmost flair
no over the shoulder, one last look
a very short chapter in a dusty old book

what did you think, how did it feel?
to severe it all with so much zeal
no calls, no letters, not even a text
grace falls short, then disappears

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

thanks

thanks for no calls and the missing text
I never know, when I'll hear from you next
thanks for the heartache and all of the pain
how you make me blue, whenever it rains

thanks for the nightmares, that come in my dreams
apparitions are closer than appearing to be
thanks for the memories, leaving this scar
a crescent moon that glows when it's dark

thanks for the wreckage and all the debris
always time for everyone, never for me
thanks for all that you leave behind
for making me see that I have been blind

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

RAJ my Valentine

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

Valentine (for JPB)

Once I was your Valentine 

and you showered me with love 

You gave me all I needed, 

stars and moon from up above 

You would hold me tightly 

and kiss my fears away 

Our love was all that mattered, 

but that was yesterday 

Now my heart is empty 

you left without a word 

Maybe you tried to tell me 

but I think I would have heard

How do I recover, 

and overcome this loss 

When you were all I wanted 

and on my heart embossed 

I take the feelings left behind, 

still deeply here contained 

And pull them out and look at them 

Like a picture that is framed 

Would you come back if you could 

to be my valentine 

And cherish all that we once had 

Together for all time

flowers and hearts (JPB)

I stood in the doorway
and watched you depart
a special day for most
filled with flowers and hearts
Valentine's day now
doesn't mean a thing
I remember the fourteenth
with the sorrow it brings

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

Old Valentines

underneath my bed
all of my past hearts do rest
all except for you

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

just a girl

I was not the lucky one 

to set your heart on fire
dusty days so long ago

that have long since expired
I was not the sweet, sweet dream 

that painted your skies blue
I'm just a girl who long ago 

fell deeply in love with you

I'm not the key that fits the lock

and opens up a door
I did not have the power to

give what was wanted and more
there was just no miracle 

or wishes upon a star
I'm the one in the rearview mirror, 

when you drove off in your car

when you look back and wonder 

if you had gone that way
will you see the promise 

of what you held at bay?
I wasn't close to being the dream

you wanted to come true
I'm just a girl who long ago 

fell deeply in love with you

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

Guardian Angel

a guardian Angel

a savior and friend

always there

through thick and thin

watching over

keeping me safe

sometimes disapproval

on her face

my guardian Angel

not made of stone

but light and grace

I'm never alone

sometimes a smile

more often a frown

let me just say

I'm glad you're around

my guardian Angel

always reading

my thought

will I land on my feet?

or will trouble be brought?

guiding my hand

in all that I do

forgiving the blunders

trying to make my path true

from a small girl

to the woman I am

a saint or sinner

still God's lamb

protecting me

in all I do

the celestial light

that surrounds you

Guardian Angel

always stay

from dark of night

through a new day

I need you now

and always will

I need your hope

I need your skill

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

trajectory

My trajectory was perfect 

I was directly in your path 

Still some how you missed me 

What is up with that? 

There is a lot of space out there 

My aim must not be true 

Or you are better at avoiding 

I didn’t see that in you 

Thinking it'd be a dead on hit 

Our worlds would just collide 

With stars and fire crackers 

And all that love provides 

But you put up your force field 

And deflected my advance 

Now I’m spinning off in space 

My solar system crashed 

Spock couldn't have done better 

Scotty can’t beam me up 

My star trek is all over 

I'm not in Kirk's lineup 

It was very clever

A lesson I have learned 

My solar shield is dented 

My ship has crashed and burned 

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

illusions

trajectory...a path that's followed
blazing trails in black and white
hollow is the point that shatters
from the muzzle smoking still

empty...is the heart that wanders
from love to love lost in the night
another day dawns cold and lonely
clouds will block the sun's bright rays

hallowed...was the room we slept in
hot and sweet the love we made
gone are all the songs we sang to
wax formed thickly at the base

once...a memory long ago
now it seems a photo cropped
black and white the minds illusion
of how it was supposed to be

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

dive

I want to 

swan dive, trajectory perfect 

landing right in your center 

I want to 

go deep into your depths 

before I resurface 

I want to trudgen through your mind 

backstroke through you spirit 

breaststroke through your soul 

butterfly through your fantasies 

I want to 

get wet

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

tug-of-war

yesterday tethered to tomorrow 

caught in a tug-of-war 'tween the two 

going back holds nothing but sorrow

my future now a rosier hue 

stuck in mud caused by the storm 

the past corroded from rain 

anticipating your next jump

love factored with all the pain 

the sun shines from behind dark clouds 

a rainbow that arcs across the blue 

he rides on a silver horse 

a hero to bring me through 

dreams of the past may bring it back 

quickly they fade with a new dawn '

till yesterday's face is just a blur 

in the morning when I stretch and yawn

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

merger

a merger of all that we have found
a mixing together making our love sound
so much better than being alone
a passionate blending makes this home

you asked if I am sad today
leaving what was yesterday
all that’s being left behind
a structure from another time

we build together a future chance
sealing tightly this romance
your green thumb that makes me bloom 
the circle starts and ends with you

tick, tock

is it too much for you to bear? 

always looking and finding me here 

is there such a thing as too much love? 

are you afraid it will swallow you up? 

are you unsure? is it me or you? 

do you need a dog like Blue for the clues? 

did I not say it or lay it on the line? 

every single moment, every single time 

did I give too much, or maybe, not enough? 

when you spelled out no, were you calling my bluff?

the clock ticks slowly away all of our hours 

what you could have had when you held the power 

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

the darker side

you discover my deepest secrets

I discover where you hide 

laying in moss and roses

thorns pricking your insides

you could make a difference

I could make one too

just maybe not together

that just won't work for you

down there on the darker side 

down there on the darker side 

everything is different 

one more sweet refrain 

not much ever changes 

in the gloaming of the estranged 

a million empty reasons 

a million one-lined verse

practicing to be perfect 

over and over rehearsed  

down there on the darker side 

down there on the darker side 

not the first time we've been here

as we circle around the end

rest your head upon my breast 

before we lose it again 

we're leaning on each other

at least that's what we pretend 

this time it could be different 

or once more it gets bent

down there on the darker side

down there on the darker side 

I was a whisper on your lips

a kite blowing in your wind 

turn me loose, pull me back 

a game of chance my friend 

it all drops like the curtain 

at the end of the final scene 

no applause, as it once more falls 

and you call out to me 

down there on the darker side 

down there on the darker side 

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

secrets

I'll claim that piece 

where secrets roam 

that hidden part

that mirrors my own

a slice of pleasure 

a dance of desire 

it's you and me baby 

an infernal fire

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

blogger

when I needed to sort things out
I headed for the border
told my secrets to the sea
and put my thoughts in order
wrote my poems and spilled my life
across the blogger pages
typed the words that told the tale
of what hadn't worked for ages
it always seemed to calm me down
and gave a new perspective
when I drove back home again
the work was ineffective

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

all along

in the light of this new day
where dreams of yesterday
fade softly away
past is the doubt
the hapless thoughts
sealed with tape
the oblong  box

hidden deep are the old scars
packed inside a chambered heart
no room for all of those old things
never were they what they seemed
learning from the same mistakes
waiting longer
growing stronger
bandaged by your love

why would I ever want to look back?
when I was not on the right track
with one headlight I drove away
Jakob’s words in my mind played
over and over I played your song
and still I knew it all along

Pandora's Box

you opened your eyes 

but closed your mind 

oblivious to dreams

I kept inside 

you saw the package 

but not the treasure 

all of those late nights 

we were together 

you spent the passion 

but saved your heart 

keeping those two things 

far, far apart 

nothing ever ventured,

 nothing ever gained 

so good at keeping

it all self-contained 

you pulled the ribbon 

on Pandora's box 

you twisted the key 

in a rusty lock 

you wound the toy 

just a little too tight 

leaving in haste 

before the dawn's light 

I thought I had it 

under control 

I could play the game 

and you'd never know 

you were much smarter 

than I had first thought 

you saw the ruse 

right from the start 

gently, you tried 

to let me down 

distancing me 

with silent sounds 

what you couldn't see--

failed to understand

 I knew your game 

but couldn't outrun your plan 

you pulled the ribbon 

on Pandora's box

you twisted the key 

in a rusty lock 

you wound the toy 

just a little too tight 

leaving in haste 

before the dawn's light 

I could see your future 

but not play a part 

you weren't really honest;

that wasn't our start

I knew there was another, 

but not the connection 

you had already promised 

your love and affection 

so as we go forward 

with an uneasy truce 

bury what's dead 

between me and you

no tourniquet will stop 

my bleed you'll agree

you didn't promise 

to be what I need

you asked me once

if the wound was still deep 

you can figure that out 

in this song if you read 

what starts with white lies, 

ends sadly with truth

it ebbs and then flows 

with each phase of the moon 

you pulled the ribbon 

on Pandora's box 

you twisted the key 

in a rusty lock 

you wound the toy 

just a little too tight 

leaving in haste 

before the dawn's light 

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

child

I didn't ask for a pedestal
that's too far to fall
I didn't ask to move mountains
or for anything at all
from the day that you were born
right up to this new hour
I've always done my best
so, you'd know you were loved

I know that I'm not perfect
though you wanted me to be
I know I've made mistakes
and that's all you can see
what a parent does for a child
those things I did for you
I did them from my heart
you know that this is true

I know I didn't deserve
all the hurtful things you said
maybe look inside
at the good things there instead
the special bond we have
the umbilical never cut
it will never wear out
or could ever be used up

I didn't ask for a pedestal
that's too far to fall
I didn't ask to move mountains
or for anything at all
from the day that you were born
right up to this new hour
I've never put conditions
on any part of my love

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

phases

the moon moves through its phases

nonchalant and slow 

each one pulls upon me 

like the tide washing on my shore 

when I think the cleanse has come

from the salty brine 

the crescent comes 

and shines its face 

with the memories that remind

laying on the sandy beach 

starring at the stars 

wondering how I landed here 

my heart on a sandbar

the bottle that I corked and threw 

into this vast green sea 

drifts out for just a little while 

then always returns to me

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