when

when feeling isn't enough to hold it together
when words linger unspoken on crisp air
when miles separate and distance grows
when love songs fall on a deaf heart
when your arm drops after the last dance
when time slips away with your last chance
when grace and forgiveness meet a dead end
when a heart turns cold without consideration
is there nothing else that you will do?
or will it all just fade?

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

FLOTUS

you didn't ask, for anointing
sure didn't want to be on point
didn't see why it needed to be
but we did

quietly, you make your mark
no transgressions on your part
no transcendence, no parade
rebuffs around every corner

carry on, you beautiful girl
head held high to this bleak world
do your best and leave your stamp
the elegant ones always do

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

we

chances were slim that we could meet
friends knew friends, but not you me
in a crowded world, in spaces in time
I became yours and you became mine

of all of the hearts in this small, vast world
of all the photos that we sift through
did I see you and not you me?
time closes gaps, on what should be

of all of the loves you could have had
of those we used and tossed away
luck draws a line, the right cards played
and you and I are we on this day

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

golden tracks

the sun's golden tracks play across the room

erasing all shadows, eliminating gloom

the lingering smell of her sweet perfume

happiness last night, but another day looms

she's isn't the  one, to keep hanging on

last night's passion, is erased now and gone

it may be that you have done nothing wrong

but the melody that plays, is only her song

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

Orion's belt

my heart felt the pain of love once gone
footsteps tread on cold, smooth stone
I hardly recognized my life
trails unmarked--no clear cut signs
the music and the laughter gone

the glory of this that I now see
days so golden, fields of green
I shield my eyes to these bright days
less I falter or they go away
taking with them my warmth

ponder deeply all this I feel
free of pain and the walls I built
vanished now into thin air
my heart pounds when you are near
and I'm striding across Orion’s belt

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

where the sidewalk ends

where the sidewalk ends
is where the going gets tough
and we finally discover
what we're really made of
that's where the weeds
that sprout in the road
can hide the way
that we need to go

we struggle with life
juggle the strife
search for direction
in the worst conditions
pray for the light
to see us through the night
try to right the wrongs
to keep us moving on

there aren't any maps
or GPS satellites
there aren't any signs
warning of dangerous plights
even if we saw them
is that the path we'd take?
lessons make us who we are
helping us bend not break

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

My Birthday Haiku

Celebrating me

I am blessed with oh so much 

Spirits soar today! 

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

Birthday

at the stroke of midnight

another year blows past 

like dust in the wind 

like fire burns to ash 

reflecting on it all

what is now yesterday 

the lessons that I've learned 

memories that were made 

would I change any one moment

 if I had the chance? 

let me think for a second

NOT ON YOUR LIFE

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

Dog Tag

The last piece of you has been taken from me 

A piece that I thought was insignificant

But, I had it for so long 

that it was a part of me 

It was the first thing you ever gave me 

It was on my key chain 

from the beginning 

I saw it daily 

and it was a reassurance, 

a reminder 

I knew right away that it was gone 

And I searched and searched, 

but it is gone, forever 

Yes, the memories 

of our time together 

Will always remain, 

put in their place, 

filed away 

The anger and loss 

of that one little piece of you 

Tore my heart out, 

brought the loss of you back 

I cried at this loss, 

and from the emptiness 

that came flooding back 

This too, is now filed away, 

with the rest......closure

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

Memorial Day

their last flight in a flag draped box

finally home to those they loved

a foreign land that took their life

right or wrong they payed the price

'honor those that went too young
uniforms soiled with blood and debris
youth left on a battlefield
moving forward, refusing to yield

resting now in eternal sleep
flags lined up in many a row
headstones whitewashed in the sun
leaving before your life had begun

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

shattered

I thought I handled it really well, 

but I was wrong!

I lost my mind and my spark

while I bled in silence

shattered in private

but I wore that smile

and it lied so much better

than any mask could.

eventually, I stood

dusted myself off and dried my soul

put what leveled me in a hole

buried it, not too deep, so 

as not to forget;

but for a reminder 

of the tough lesson 

that I learned 

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

four more years

in the clearing I can see it

after the smoke has cleared

slowly, it comes forward

slowly, it's revealed

the engine moving onward

quickly it shifts gears

as he said it would be

all the left side fears

revealing deep dark secrets

the hidden accuracies

transparency is key now

and all that I believed

the way that it is handled

somewhat miraculously

it's like he has a playbook

or magic up his sleeve

yes, I can finally see it

the smoke begins to clear

four more years of wisdom

as greatness reappears

shushing foreign powers

from a heart that steers

advancing what he told us

at least for four more years

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

Love Haiku

"do you love me much?"
“more than my fly rods” you say
That is quite a lot!!

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

surrender haiku

surrender your love
surround me with your passion
swathe me in your warmth

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

Monsoon Haiku

I love the monsoons
lightning and torrential rain
washes the desert clean

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

blogger's lament

I wrote about love
I wrote about pain
poured it out
for all to read

I wrote about passion
I wrote about warmth
on moonless nights
when I was cold

I wrote about mountains
I wrote about the sea
the monsoon rain
and lightning storms

I write it all
I write what I feel
in haiku and prose
a blogger's lament

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

green

eyes of green, the darkest hue

an Irish temper through which rath spews

lightning or fire, thunder or rain

too many thoughts, in this full brain

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

enough

she told them her dreams and they said she was crazy

when she sat in silence, they said she was lazy

when she would lead, they talked behind her back

when she offered opions, they said she was lacking

no longer hearing, the storms deep inside

banished with silence, she took them in stride

choosing not to engage with anger or self doubt

she chewed on them slowly, then spit them all out

she studied more on balance, and when to let go

the moon in its phases, the ebbs and the flow

she learned just to listen, being true to herself

built up her courage that she had once shelved

avoiding the ones, that tried to belittle

that wasted her time, making her soul too brittle

she wasn't too quiet, too prideful or meek

but was strong and resilient, and ideas she did speak

she wasn't too little, more like just enough

she polished the diamond, ridding all the rough

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

silent screams

I lift my head, the tiara slides
from my eyes the tears now glide
trusting no one, only me
what I know, what I believe

in the heavens, clouds make forms
from the hives the bees now swarm
mine for an hour, not for days
leaving me in many ways

never in heaven, when I do pray
skies not blue but dark, dark gray
I'm not one to believe in luck
sometimes love can truly suck

if I find the answer, I'll let you know
smoke drifts up from stone cold coals
when I awake from this bad dream
my throat is dry with silent screams

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 know I was not the one to set your heart on fire
infatuation lays in dust with days long since expired
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

I'm not the key that fits the lock and opens up a door
Nor did I have the power to give, all you wanted and more
there was just no miracle or wishes upon a star
I'm the one in the rear view mirror, when you drove off in your car

when you look back and wonder if you had gone that way
will you see the promises 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

Falling

I’m falling from heaven
The angel’s grasp, I slip through
Reaching and clawing
With nothing to clutch to

Clouds that can not save me
As I hurtle quickly to earth
Closer to certain peril
Closer to hitting the dirt

Picking up momentum now
As the fall speeds quickly on
Life passes now before me
And the things that I did wrong

The doors that once were open
Are shut tight and barred
Limbo is no longer
Hell’s door is ajar

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

No Surrender

I thought that you might be the knight
The colors waved seemed true
removing the fortress around my heart
On a black steed you rode through

Not a damsel in distress
My world was pure and good
No need for any rescue
I knew just where I stood

The many colors you displayed
Were from damsels before me
The lance you carried pierced their hearts
But I refused to see

The fortress before was so secure
No chance of penetration
The knowledge that I learned before
Protecting my heart’s foundation

The damage that’s been done here
May never be repaired
There may be too much carnage
From the short time you were there

I will need a deeper moat
A wall that can’t be breached
For my self preservation
For a heart that won’t be reached

My heart will not surrender
It will stay locked up in the tower
Never trusting, never loving
Never to be empowered

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

feelings

I denied you nothing
going into dark crevices
that had never seen light

you spoke to me with rhyming prose
I answered you with feelings
that never hit their mark

darkness returns to those places
tactical senses falling back inward
drowning in that fog

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

atmospheric pressure

my heart is a jet 
yours; atmospheric pressure
air too thin for lift

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