I forgive

what about closure, when it never comes
I know that sudden death leaves a hole
deeper and blacker than any pit;
you climb out, brush off the dirt
continue on your way...
merry or not

an apology, with true heart
with unhidden motives
and purest reflection...
yeah, that would do it

sometimes,  you just gotta say
it ain't ever comin' my way
I forgot what all the ruckus was about
I know it was something
but in the realm of reality
lookin' over my shoulder
inside my heart--
I forgive

now go, and sin no more!

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

something deeper

a crisp yellow shirt
long sleeved on a hot July
in you walk, my heart goes thump
a cool character
lookin for love

humorous, your eyes twinkle
laughter fills the dim lit room
tequila fuels nervous thoughts
chased by surrender
to something deeper

not so lucky times before
but you got all that you looked for
lines are spoken--they always worked
a few of my own added to yours
history in the making

I've worn that shirt with nothing else
a country tune you may know well
cautions blown away with wind
hazard cones precariously placed
around the chambers of my heart

a seeker finds what he searches for
knowing where to look--sweet mystery
we nurse our wounds from what is not
toss what wasn't in a box
trusting what will be

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

Scratch Deeper

Scratch deeper than the surface
Look beyond the façade I present
Look into my depths

Discover who I am
My insecurities and my fears
My mysteries, secrets, intricacies

Unravel my layers
Each tier something new
Explore all that I am

Search my mind
Search my heart and spirit
Look into my soul

The answers are here
And I will reveal all to you
But scratch deeper than the surface

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

15 Minutes

Have I already used my 15 minutes?
My 15 minutes of fame
That everyone gets

Did I use it wisely?
Did I help someone less fortunate?
Keep them from sinking deeper into an abyss

Wouldn’t I know?
If I did something fantastic
Other than the good feeling it leaves

I have done countless good deeds
Donated to charities and worthy causes
Going green to save the planet

I have donated food
Worked for the Red Cross
Rescued stray pets

How will I know?

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

morning doves

sing your song, morning doves
it lilts so sweetly on the early morning breeze
I know you are not singing to me
but in the stillness of this cool morning
before my day really begins
sing your song

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

stillness

love was slowly pounding,
pounding on my heart's door
was I too slow at answering?
I opened it, no one was there
just stillness in the night air
and the fragrance of what could be

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

redemption day

tried too hard to hide it
melancholy seeping through
this shadow on my soul
the sun does not get to

singing my song to you
and casting it to the wind
echoes in the stillness
throbbing pain within

following your heart's path
the one that leads away
abandon thoughts left here
it's your redemption day

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

the number of the beast

666...
the number of the beast
vexillum of soldiers
marching without souls
debauchery, treachery
destroying all they see
look to your left
then to your right
they look like you and me

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

footsteps

footsteps that falter
loosing the path
tripping and falling
in loves abyss
growing softer
slipping away
echoing sounds
from the trail where they strayed

no circling back
on this road I travel
nothing to grab
as it all unravels
in this forest
densely overgrown
I forge ahead
into the unknown

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

for you

in the gentleness of your touch 

in crystal blue pools of warmth 

in your voice that soothes me 

and your contagious laughter 

in deep kisses and loving moments 

your arm around me as we dream

all of this and much, much more 

is the gift you give to me 

with support and understanding 

your concern for my feelings 

my problems that you can't control 

you listen and hear me 

all the while my heart beating

ponderance and quiet times 

music we've both come to know 

and a dance we have only begun 

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

frailties

and in the light I see it
the frailties of man
contaminating oceans
pillaging our land
it glistens in the sunlight
pours down with the rain
clouds of realization
hovering poisonous haze
these sins will last for centuries
our children's children will pay
for the wanton disregard
of all the things You gave

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

distant dream

the stars will guide you
your love remind you
the journey has begun
you're finally on the run

once a distant dream
a fantasy now beams
leave behind the past
your heart now will hold fast

living for this time
all the rungs you climbed
once cloaked in your shroud
emanating as clouds

opportunities now brought
and all the things you sought
it all falls into place
at last your saving grace

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

11

in a lacy dress

my hair done up

I am finally ready

to fill my cup

you smile at me

and take my hand

as we stand together

just as planned

eleven years

too fast it goes 

if only some way

I could make it slow

I'll take this love

through rain or in sun

forever in my soul

long may we run

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

vagabond

a vagabond's heart 

did what it pleased 

silently drifting 

empty of needs 

reveling in pleasure

repenting the pain 

but it all closes in 

nothing is gained 

hitting a stone wall 

you slip as you climb 

asking the same questions 

time after time 

the answers you sought 

burn way down deep 

a spirit lost in shadow 

trying to break free 

let the cleansing come 

let the rain pour down 

let me ease your pain 

as the sorrow drowns

let redemption cloak

let your spirit mend 

let your soul wrap around 

the heart of a friend

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

song

you strum my fate softly, 

fingers agilely moving 

on the strings of my heart

the lyrics you sing 

the chords that you play 

rip deeply into my soul 

rendering memories; acoustic sound 

vibrating my pain and depths of despair 

the chords are strong 

a scordatura performed 

reinforcing anguish 

the song complete 

tears glisten and fall

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

God's good gravce

with God's good grace, I've made it here

my guardian Angel always near

ever watchful, never sleeps

incase she needs to interfere

I've been close to dangers door

she intervened like times before

swooping down to save my ass

I'm sure I am one big chore

thank you God, for  all you give

what a life you've let me live

thank you for forgiving my sins

never once did I misgive

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

a place in time

in the masquerading dawn
sun rising slowly across the lawn
all the dreams from the night before
just don’t matter anymore

coffee clears my foggy brain
and those old thoughts that still remain
warmed by rays of a new day
cold to the bone by months of rain

how do I sort out the truth?
all that begins and ends with you
am I all or just a place?
a place that holds a tiny space

you swear I am the only one
been that way since we’ve begun
you build on lines that worked before 
still ajar is the  backdoor

an ace stuck in a ticking spoke
the road to never ending hope
too little pay for so much work
a heart that hides a world of hurt

here and now

do ghosts stop by, now and again?
reeking havoc, ruining plans
dragging their chains from long ago
like REM,  moving quick or slow

do they dig trenches in your mind?
always lagging just behind
seeds you reaped from fields well ploughed
burrowed in your sweating brow

are you content in the here and now?
given a promise and a vow
distracted by the could have been
are you out or are you in?

sometimes silence echoes so
I can't read what I well know
roll the dice on what has bled
exorcize them from your head

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

slow

so we danced for awhile
and we danced real close
the lyrics blue
the tempo slow

you held me tight
whispered in my ear
just for one night
the meaning clear

so we danced for awhile
and we danced real slow
that song has ended
that one night gone

three percenter

a three percenter through and through
patrons of red, white and blue
NRA we do support
second amendment being sold short


we fly the flag from a tall pole
the one we all do love and know
waving proudly, in the breeze
flying high above the trees

the founding fathers wrote the rules
they were here for me and you
never should they be revoked
that's why you have a right to vote

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

I dream

a sky of blue
a sea of green
this sandy beach
on which I dream

the tide ebbs
and then it neaps
under starlit skies
my promises keep

cast them out
upon a wave
and what comes back
will always remain

those that float
away from me
were not the ones
for me to keep

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

transparent

when the fog starts to clear
transparent like glass
what you knew going in
starts to tumble down fast

when the pieces start to fit
finding the one that you missed
once hidden under a rug
'neath the chair where you sit

closure will come
as I distance you from me
like the old saying goes
the truth sets you free

pivotal point

a pivotal point
that crucial moment
when all is clear
the fog dissipates, and
like fine crystal
all is transparent
the lucidity is astounding
the awareness, sharp
the acoustics, deafening
a pivotal point
when I realize
the depth of it all

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

blink

a touch that was familiar
a virtual paradise
how many ways you've known me
before starting to think twice

once you sang a love song
the music sweet and low
the whispers of suggestion
from not that long ago

looking back and wondering
when did it all go wrong
one minute you were with me
I blinked and you were gone

now you sing a new song
the lyrics much the same
the chords you're playing different
but you sing the same refrain

in the ebony recesses
the shadows of your night
thoughts that divagate toward me
while she lays by your side


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

running with scissors

I am running with scissors, throwing caution to the wind
jumping many fences, that used to rein me in
be damned with what they think; or think that they may know
I am not quite finished yet, nor is it time to go

I'm sliding down the banister, of the stairway that leads up
and I am pretty thirsty for what runs over my cup
it's not a mountain breeze, more like a hurricane
the thunder is still crashing and there's lightning just the same

how we've come this far,with still more paths to travel
held together with glue so we don't come unraveled
I don't think we're close to being over or done
another night does pass and up comes the warm sun

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