on track

the stories that you told your head

to keep your heart on track

the bridges that you lit on fire

to keep from going back

a relationship you thought you knew

overlooking deep, deep cracks

drawing the cord much tighter and tighter

to take up all the slack

when I was sure of nothing

or certain of anything else

things were very crazy

I was unsure of myself

I knew it wasn't worth it

those feelings I would shelf

I decided to play those cards

the ones I had been dealt

even while I was running

no place that I could hide

what little you did offer

was at best misguided

the times that you ignored me

all the while I let it slide

when I saw the real you

I put my love aside

the ruins that you left behind

the lyrics without sounds

all the leaves, on Midwest trees

that turned from green to brown

putting away the caricature

of all I thought I found

sending one last message

saying please don't come around

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

midwest

flying home to my roots 

back to the Midwest 

where I spent my childhood 

reconnecting with family 

with friends old and new 

reinforcing my core 

lifting my spirits my very essence 

during the day I drive past corn fields 

knee high with thick, straight rows 

I smell the fresh mown grass 

the lawns green and fresh 

a memory from long ago

 

in the evenings 

I see lightening bugs 

nonexistant in the southwest 

and when I leave 

I lock these treasures in my heart 

the memories in my soul

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

silent stars

silent stars shoot across dark sky
a comet's death, lonely they die
like hopes that fade, all
beliefs that wane, quickly
in the blink of an eye

I once believed in fairy tales
of a savior prince, the wall he scales
rhymes once written long ago
they're not true, this I now know
fantasy in gory detail

the moon rises high in velvety night
twinkling stars enhance my plight
do I look for happily ever after?
braving disaster after disaster
trying to rid this stage fright

silent stars shoot across dark sky

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

anonymous darkness

we make love
in anonymous darkness
we touch and feel our way
a pioneered path

a trail blazed long ago
a path we both know
a love we both feel

no light needed
except the one ignited
as our love burns

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

a summer made of dreams

all those things that now are dreams
walks in the rain and jumping streams
laying on the beach under star-lit nights
that summer made of love's highlights
now the leaves drop from the trees

upon us winter begins its creep
dropping hands, tides that neap
laying there, not able to sleep
the years fly and time passes by

all of the golden plans we made
a future strong, that wouldn't fade
that blurs as it grows tired and cold
extinguished like the candles glow
where did all of those hopes go?
that summer made of sweetest dreams
the leaves drop, again, from many trees
and winter, again, begins its creep
the years fly quick and love passes by

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

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