July

you brought warmth
that melted ice and snow
a long winter shortened
with a different kind of glow

learning the nuisance,

all there was of me

taking my hand, showing what could be
that July

you stayed through the spring
summer and autumn too
a heartfelt poem
not a quick haiku
winter comes again
no longer winter blues
because of that July
when I met you

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

undone

and while they sleep, it slips away

the dreams and prayers of yesterday

not a sigh or whisper comes

at what continues to be undone

children that shall not be born

no baby cries that will be mourned

kids in schools that should be safe

indoctrination takes that space

boys will be girls and girls to boys

listen closely to the white noise

don't listen to parents, listen to me

they think they know what's best for thee

as they scrub the web and scrub your mind

leaving all of our past behind 

a rainbow promise that once God gave

now significant to the depraved

those that think and those that know

can't see a shining afterglow

refusing to break, refusing to bend

to coming destruction at the end

our twilight that no longer gleams

fits nicely in their scheme of things

intruders given more than some

what is their quest; their last end run?

as a free world that will cease to be

beyond the pale of darkest seas

the chain is broken, link by link

by those that push them to the brink

and while they sleep, it slips away

the dreams and prayers of yesterday

not a sigh or whisper comes

at what continues to be undone

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

tiles

my life is Scrabble
random words with not much sense
redraw, start from scratch

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

embedded

I ran a scan for infestations 

looking to rid all complications

viruses through my heart still course 

the heartaches there and much remorse

the scan says all herein is clean 

I think it's wrong...

that's what I believe 

or it's embedded way too deep 

I know it's there 

I feel it seep

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

headstrong

maybe, I'm impulsive
a little too headstrong
I do what my gut tells me
it's never proved me wrong
heading blindly onward
a path with twists and turns
sometimes I get lucky
sometimes crash and burn

my mother once did tell me
"you always land on your feet"
like a cat with many lives
persevering without retreat
this isn't always easy
my brain has many tabs
and all of them are open
as each idea it grabs

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

dead letter

somewhere, close to the very end
to protect, a lover pretends
faking what is now long gone
cutting losses and moving on
taking what we get from the stress
stamp it, mail it, to the wrong address
ending up in the dead-letter office

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

hold on

is there anything left to say
that hasn't already been said?
is there anything left to hear
a song that hasn't been sung?
is there anything left to feel
way down inside your soul?
if there is, now is the time
baby, hold on or let me go

are there anymore steps to learn
to this dance we do?
are there any other reasons
that I should hold on to?
are there anymore quarters
to this dark side of the moon?
if there is, now is the time
baby, hold on or let me go

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

thoughtless

thoughtless words
thoughtless deeds
thoughtless reasons
we disagree

I put you first
but not you me
another slight
you do not see

do you love me?
or not so much
saying the words
are not enough

show me how
you really feel
show me what
we have is real

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

Foreigner

A foreigner in my own life
A passport not yet stamped
The language that is spoken
One I don’t understand

I slipped across the border
An undetected alien
No guide that can help
Here in this strange land

Maybe I needed a visa
I should have thought this through
I thought it would be easier
Didn't know I'd face a coup

Situations that plague me
No maps or GPS
No clues to the future
Or immunity from stress

I need an eponymous agreement
A neutral intervention
To get me back to reality
To block this blind perception

A nefarious situation
Pointing every way but out
A situation that’s hopeless
Of this I have no doubts

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

hero

I'm not looking for a hero
a knight in shining armor
someone to solve my problems
the worries of my world

I'm looking for a hand to hold
when nights are long and cold
a lover that can warm me
as I lay in his arms

someone to sing a love song
only meant for me
I don't need a hero
you are what I need

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

Demons

trying hard to fight the urge
But you have no strength
it all starts to wear you down
causing you to overthink

you know it’s gonna leave a scar
but that’s the pain you need

from the wounds that are profuse
once the gashes start to bleed

when the boat is sinking
there aren't enough life vests
do you save yourself?
or try to save the rest?

you try to fight the demons
but you have no cape
or super hero powers
to get out of this scrape

when you want to give in
cause it’s the easy thing to do
people always wantin more
than there is to give of you

when you have a lot of doubts
and you can’t think straight
mind like a labyrinth
or a dense, foggy haze

then look to the heavens
and say a little prayer
look for the answers
you will find them there

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

Justice

Manipulating justice
Breaking all the rules
Flouting and nefarious
Oblivious and a ruse

Never held accountable
Never had to pay
Never held as liable
Never to this day

Everything came easy
That’s till I met you
Changing how the game is played
Playing me the fool

All the things that I did wrong
Has come back now tenfold
I got exactly what I reaped
It’s on my heart’s threshold

I hope I learned a lesson
It’s to soon to say
My heart is still recovering
From when I was betrayed

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

poetic justice

borders drawn, I step across
not a leap of faith
was it so hard?
was it that bad?
no, it was bittersweet
a rich dark chocolate
that leaves an aftertaste

were the words "I love you"
what you expected to hear?
written in flowing verse
not whispers in your ear
easier to say at a distance
while longing for you to be near

poetic justice, words that flow
vague lyrics that sweep through
softening blows, without afterglow
of all that we might have known
was it so hard?
was it so bad?
no, baby, it was bittersweet

the taste will linger
long after it melts
the wrapper tossed
your love not expressed
mine spoken for you to read
over and over
all that I bled

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

moss

we forged a bridge of friendship
constructed of heaviest steel
and the river of injustice
flows freely underneath
no undertow or crashing waves
wash up on grassy banks
serenity floating softly
for the fishes that swim there

hand in hand we walk across
this structure that we made
freedom of heart and wisdom of mind
waits on the other side
the iniquities and the dreams
of what could never be
covered with moss on glossy rocks
is all we leave behind

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

ramblings

I wish it was yesterday
I hadn't said what I had to say
I want to take it back
forget what my heart said
sometimes it doesn't think before it speaks

ignore the echoing ramblings
although they bounce off the canyon walls
forget the things you heard
I love you is just words
spewing from a mindless chamber
where it all leaked out between cracks

there is no where to stay
and I feel like I am stuck
between blue sky and pitch dark
nothing to warm me or light my way
I want to take it back
I love you is just words
you never heard

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

some things can never be

I’m not going to climb any higher
it is only further to fall
from something this unsteady

I’m not going to get any stronger
not going to hold on any tighter
to something that’s slipping from me

I’ve disappeared way back in to my mind
and the way things used to be
and that’s what grips me

I’ve finally realized
some emotions can’t be satisfied
and that some things can never be

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

no matter how it shakes

someone's got to go
somethings got to give
this time a heart will break
no matter how it shakes
the earth is going to quake
this time a heart will break
gotta feeling it will be mine

I can read the writing
there upon the wall
hidden deep in shadows
how plainly it is scrawled
no matter how it shakes
the earth is going to quake
this time a heart will break
gotta feeling it will be mine

I didn't see a master plan
if it was all flayed out
a blueprint in advance
I know I didn't stand a chance
no matter how it shakes
the earth is going to quake
this time a heart will break
I know it won't be yours
never put it on the line
I always knew it would be mine

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

in-between

The valley was not always green like the name implied. During the hot summer months and in-between the months of monsoon, my soul would dry and crack like the deep desert washes that surrounded the small little town.

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

Climb

I’m making the climb
It’s not so steep
The valley below me
Green and deep

Must reach the summit
I’ve been there before
Closer to heaven
My spirit will soar
The mountain looms
I’m half way there
No place for footing
Must take more care

Should have used a tether
The climb is precipitous
The perils that face me
Are very ominous
Slowly I go
My footing is sure
Hands are reaching
For places secure

I can see the top
I am very near
Not much longer
Till I am there
Once I reach it
I’ll sit for a while
Enjoying the challenge
And seeing for miles

Going down is easy
Repelling my way back
The climb was the challenge
That keeps me on track

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

floating in the breeze

what once was floats in the breeze
stuck like plastic in the mesquite
it flutters and rattles but goes nowhere
just waves at the wind that put it there
morn and night it stays in place
like the memory of your once sweet face

do you go about your busy day
thinking of all that got away
escaped your clutches, ran and hid
never to come about again
all your fault for relaxing your grip
names seep slowly from your lips

all the claims that you are well
yet your message is what tells
that I creep across your mind
once a day or all the time
too late to play the fiddlers game
it that, in fact, was your true aim

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

Rebel

Sorry, I don't fit
I am not made to conform
Rebel with a cause

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

lover's wine

last night I dreamed a thousand lies 

floating on moonbeams not surmised 

a faceless lover I recognize 

dreams once dreamed that won't survive

only coming forth at night 

breezes lilting. deep green pine 

our bodies flattening a design 

on dense, sweet grass and forest vine 

love heats quickly as we entwine

and you taste a lover's wine 

sunlight hits my opened eyes

revealing all of the night lies 

of a dearly beloved and I 

blazing truth in heart not mind

this broken heart split open wide

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

when

when passion once burned
does re-ignite
thoughts of you
come late at night
a spark once more
from mounds of ash
building a bridge
so love can pass

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

chamber

in a chamber,deep within
buried hopes that now run thin
hidden here inside my heart
dreams that end without a start

close that door, without a lock
if you want in, you need to knock
no sound comes from your clenched fist
just echoes of words
from a very long list

in a chamber, deep within
fantasies that come to an end
a room in my heart
left vacant to let
unoccupied space
that you forget

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

everlasting

I've climbed all the mountains
roamed the desert floor
I do it today, like I've done it before
looking for answers, guidance from above
but there are no solutions, or resolutions
that can save me now

things have been said about things left undone
and it echoes aloud; resonating
a quiet screeching, angels screaming
is it just in my head or in the breeze?
can everyone hear it like me?

I wander unsteady as I stray from Your path
I stumble and falter, rise up and fall back
I thirst for Your truth, Your tree of knowledge
looking for an apple that holds wisdom

weariness comes, mind and body it sweeps
there is not a branch to steady my fall
in fact, there is no one, no shelter from the sun
there is just no protection at all

which way do I go now, show me the way
light a candle in my darkness
shine down on me, let me find peace
I pray for Your salvation everlasting

but Heaven betrays me, 

Hell opens to engage me 

and redemption has just run past

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