you and me

in the smell of the pine mixed

with fireplace smoke

hot chocolate kisses

and angels of snow

the warm winter sun

that gave us its glow

the laughter of lovers

as we play as we go

the day winds down quickly

to moon and starlight

the fire rekindled

on this cold, cold night

candles are lit and

now they beam bright

all nestled and warm 

but my hair--what a sight

we do not gather with 

family or friends

its just us two 

and we're staying in

maybe next year

we'll see how that bends

I'm fine with just you

for as long as this wends

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

Prayer

my spirit grows tired 

my soul getting weak 

the sustenance I'm getting 

is not what I need 

can You shed some truth 

on this weary being 

spotlight the things 

that leave me bleeding 

show Yourself please

reach out Your hand 

help me to know 

and to understand 

the path that I travel 

the forks in the road 

show me the reason 

for this shouldered load 

can You hear the prayers? 

these words that I utter 

I say my Amen's 

but maybe I stutter 

show me Your way 

Your truth...don't hold back 

please, take my hand 

put my feet on Your path 

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

prayer

Heaven is the sea
each wave whispering prayer
answered by the moon

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

wonton desire

breathless kiss of fire
kindred torching of passion
savored afterglow

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

regardless

I don't need a hero!

I can slay my own dragons

fight my own fights

think for myself

but ya know what's nice?

having someone to stand beside you

someone that's got your back

and is there for you regardless

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

drift

darkness drifts dreamlessly into the dawn

I rise real early, not setting alarms

although that need once is now just forgone

wondering what will this new day bring on

no longer working, one day's like the next

not trying to impress my boss with my best

no customers bitching, eliminating my stress

no herding employees, putting me to a test

that world has ended, a new day is here

most times with laughter and lots of good cheer

no HR calls, telling me to adhere

I don't miss that life, or any of those peers

as darkness drifts dreamlessly into the dawn

I rise real early, not setting alarms

although that need once is now just forgone

wondering what will this new day bring on

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

Charlie

 Christian man, who believed God's word

sharing the message to those in the herd

debating questions with those in the crowd

speaking loud and calm his head not bowed

a Bible verse for opposing views

telling his gospel as the crowd grew

there were many that hated, the words that he said

filled with disdain of all that he spread

changing minds, a great difference it made

ignoring the threats that would keep him away

drawing bigger throngs of those that would hear

many open minds, but some still jeered

“Challenge the mainstream”. “Protect your rights”

it won't be easy but finish the fight

speak your mind and don't back down

you may be surprised with what could abound

faith, family, freedom to you should belong

if this isn't right then prove me wrong

in a FREEDOM shirt, with one more throng

his voice was silenced for being too strong

those that thought his organization would die

dissipating with him up into the sky

it did not quiet but more like perfected

an assassination had the opposite effect

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

the brink

sometimes, my soul flickers

like a candle in the breeze

grasping at straws to reason

but in the reasoning creeps

standing at a crossroad

where hope and reason meet

one path will hold victory

the other strong defeat

the echoes of the numbness

from silence to extreme

from shadows in the sunlight

to a night with no moon beams

the world that once did prosper

so shiny, it did gleam

slides down the slippery slope

along with American dreams

the storm of all mankind

who surely mean no harm

as callousness spreads thickly

on what has lost its charm

silence, they say quickly

lay down those firearms

we're here to protect you

no need for that alarm

still my mind roams freely

as I jot shit down in ink

it may come back to bite me

when I'm not allowed to think

"it isn't what I wanted"

they shush without a blink

and everything is crooked

that's pushed over the brink

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

lost from sight

I followed the path
as if I had a choice
I lit the candle
and I heard the voice
the whisper in silence
the taunt in the night
the locust of despair
the hope lost from sight

all of the possibilities
that hide in my dreams
the wings of the angel
her halo that gleams
words don't match the lips
it is all out of sync
like an old B movie
pushing me over the brink

it doesn't always make sense
I feel it just the same
the rhymes and the reasons
of all foolish games
I sort it all out
like laundry on the floor
I close tight the window
and open wide the door

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

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

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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