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

questions

questions burn
pages turn
still some secrets
I must learn

behind, our past
don't look back
nothing there
but smoke and ash

still, the dreams
my mind screams
waylaid answers
I get it seems

in between
crisp, fresh sheets
love starts over
for you and me

one more time
it's all fine
still I wonder
if your heart's mine

sed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

between wonder and love

they meet in the middle
between east and west
between sunrise and sunset
somewhere between dependence and indifference

they meet in the middle
between unsure and surreal
between unopened and unsealed
somewhere between give and take

they meet in the middle
between rain and sun
between ended and just begun
somewhere between fact and fiction

they meet in the middle
between forgiveness and grace
between bittersweet and a honey taste
somewhere between wonder and love

somewhere between blue sky and monsoon
once again, they meet in the middle

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

can't

she took the word can't, and threw it away

changed it to can, that very same day

took the frown, turned it upside down

erasing the wrinkles, creased in her brow

things started changing, not always first try

but again and again till she got it right

it seemed to get easier, to figure things out

and so she moved quicker, erasing the doubts

I'm never going back, to the ways of the old

so onward and upward, on this road she rolled

her outlook had changed, her life had improved

and all she had done, was that can't was removed

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

going forth

I've made my peace with the old me

buried her deep with a wreath of flowers

I gave her eternal quiet and forgiveness

but no honor rests there

although there were building blocks

paths for wisdom and fortitude

that I kept with me 

not buried deep with the old me

but the strength for the new me

the person I became

after all that was before failed

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

twelve years

twelve years ago since we said I do

following the vows that we promised to

love, honor, respect are only just a few

as we travel a path, while adding more rules

this happy day, twelve years now gone by

and my oh my how the time does fly

maybe, not always, are we under blue skies

but, giving all we've got to these loving ties

building on yesterdays, starting each day anew

giving each balance, will always see us through

the best save for last, for me and for you

since twelve years ago, when we said I do  

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

special ellipse

for too long, fragmented arcs
not fitting together, broken
until you, now it is as if
a compass has drawn the
perfect circumference
tangent touching
your radius, straight to my heart
reflection symmetry
the arcs now fitting together

the sum of the two distances

to the focal points is a constant

enclosing the circle
completing me

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

in the wings

a heart that moves
in uncharted territory
paths not marked
unfamiliar terrain
high mountain peaks
and low green valleys

what I see in your eyes
does that reflect your heart?
words spoken or written
phrases captured in
lyrics and prose
defined better than what I can pen

afraid to say what is here
a cautious mind with
a heart in a hurry
I stumble blindly along
letting you lead
directing my feelings
like a stage production
while in the wings
"I love you" waits

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

symmetry and balance

The words you have given me
worth more than flowers
Flowers wilt and die
words are permanently etched

Engraved in my memory forever
The way they were expressed
The sound of your voice or written by hand
Touching me deep in my soul

Like prose or lyrics
The symmetry and balance of your words
Touch in ways hands can’t
Wouldn’t know how

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

symmetry

in the symmetry of mountain ranges 

the poetry of a cloudless sky 

the lyric of the nightingale

the song of the sage 

the dance of drifting tumbleweeds 

I see God's grace 

I am at peace

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

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.