every step I take

every step I take
brings me closer to where you are
every rung I climb
every thing I try
every thought I think
brings me closer

look over your shoulder
I'm coming up quick on you
slipping into your thoughts
feelings you forgot
fantasies you sought
closer than your shadow
feel my breath on your face
I'm coming up quick on you

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

want and need

what I want
and what I need
are two completely separate things
what I feel
and what I see
are two completely different things
what I want
and what I need
are worlds apart, that's how it seems

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

what if

when I look back
what if we hadn't danced
what if you'd never asked
what if I hadn't said yes
what if the stars didn't shine
what if there is no safety net
what would have happened
if we had never met

what if we hadn't talked
long into the night
and I didn't hear
all of your insights
if I hadn't got caught
inside your net
what would have happened
if we never met

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

steps

if all knew the steps
if the dance was easier
the floor would be full

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

perspective

as the old year fades away
unrealized hopes of yesterday
tissued dreams packed in a box
put on a shelf but not forgot

fresh perspective, fresh new year
a plan-o-gram to make it clear
erase the slate, start again
keeping all I once held dear

resolutions not fulfilled
roll them over, a re-try
add some wishes I will keep
fantasy never in short supply

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

mirror image

he remembers
the way the dim light played
on her skin, his hands tangled
in her auburn hair
her green eyes glistening

she remembers
the way he touched her
the way he kissed her
his hands tangled in her hair
the way he held her in the night

a reflection in a mirror
the wind was cold
the night, heated with passion

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

a promise

my heart hears your song
a whispered ballad of love
promises to keep

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

A-Game

I can tell by the way you play
Your cover has been blown
I’ve forgotten more about romance
Than you have ever known

Not so suave or debonair
Or as good as you could be
I’ve heard these same old lines before
They’re not so new to me

Is this just your practice?
Are you saving your A-game?
I can give you pointers for
your next unsuspecting prey

A little work is all you need
To improve your skill
I’ve heard and seen it all my friend
In my mind it is instilled

Just don’t use the things I teach
To turn the tables on me
I will give you knowledge
For future loves you seek

you're everything

watching you, in the candlelight
music playing, everything is right
that's how it starts
that's how it begins
you're everything, I want to do again

laying in your arms
your kisses start to heat
the touch of your hand
that electricity
that's how it starts
that's how it begins
you're every feeling, I want to feel again

as I watch you sleep
smile on your face
you don't even know
you're still holding on to me
that's how it starts
that's how it begins
you're everything, I want to do again

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

My Wish Haiku

A million stars light
I wish on the first one seen
It was just for you

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

over the line

there is a fire smoldering
here inside of me
gonna stoke the ashes
stir it up, get what I need
judiciousness be damned
I'm tired of paying heed
gonna stoke this fire
here inside of me

gonna step over the line
do just what I please
not gonna listen to others
beg redemption on my knees
gonna live outside the lines
of the norm or what is right
God help me, it may curse me
but I'm stoking this fire inside

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

but still...

somewhere, someday
you're gonna miss me
maybe, an afterthought
but still...

now that I am gone
you're gonna miss me
thinking of things we did
but still...

when you look behind you
when you look ahead
I was always an afterthought
but still...

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

nothing

nothing left to say
nothing left to do
cards were on the table
separating me and you
I can't say the parting
was even done as friends
the bitterness was rising
saying it's the end

you turned your back like always
ready once more to depart
I knew it was final
no more brand new starts
but I also knew that finally
I would be ok
maybe not tomorrow
but eventually one day

months and years are faded
with memories of what was
all the scars have healed up
probably just because
I said please don't you contact
or this will never repair
the wounds that cut me deeply
are hidden deep in here

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

dance

the music starts
we dance once again
this time you don't let go
no one cuts in
the music just right
a song that we know

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

beyond the dream

look beyond the dream
to where you'd least expect
look beyond the fantasy
for whom you'd least suspect

write my name in kisses
each one a twinkling star
pull the moon from heaven
to gift wrap our sweet love

blow a gentle breeze
to sweetly ruffle my hair
lay me down with promise
stay always with me there

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

pandemic

the President's numbers tumble
with the democrat flair
because of a pandemic
floating in the air
so he imposed a lockdown
to keep us all at home
but the virus is still out there
as across the world it roams

leaving Dr.'s baffled
as it multiplies
gloves and masks are needed
how many more will die?
as oil prices tumble
the stock market takes a dive
my 401 is tanking
when once it grew and thrived

a vaccine will be discovered
but maybe, not soon enough
we just have to hang in there
and show what we're made of
hoarders will stop hoarding
and businesses open up
the treasury, stop giving money
cuz the government is bankrupt

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

your love

when you touch my hand
I truly understand
the wonder of your love

when you say the words
you think I haven’t heard
the sound of your love

when you whisper my name
and I know that all is changed
the meaning of your love

when you hold me close
saying I’m what matters most
the offering of your love

what I’m giving back
all that I once lacked
the returning of your love

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

Eve

Am I the Eve in your garden
the offer of forbidden fruit
Or is it my imagination
tossed out like yesterday’s news

Am I the taste of desire
still burning on your lips
When you try to sleep at night
and into dreams you slip

Am I the candle that you lit
as you say another prayer
For redemption that won't come
hope vanishing in thin air

Am I the shadow in your life
the music in your head
Or a song that won’t diminish
and fills your soul with dread

Am I what keeps you suspended
in the realms of fantasy
When morning creeps upon you
and there’s no mystery

Am I the lock upon your door
as you try to twist the key
When you are looking for something
that satisfies your needs

Am I invading your ivory tower
as you struggle to keep me at bay
While the clock ticks away the minutes
and time whittles away your day

Am I the bite of the apple
watch the juice drip down your chin
Are your eyes finally open
to a dream that could have been

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

desire

I taste the sweat of desire
a fine wine correctly chilled
starting with the touch of a hand
and all the passion spills

the want I can not hold back
cacoethes now set free
a burning in my soul
to a white hot degree

a kiss of expectation
a whisper of words of love
a release of inhibition
what fantasies are made of

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

sleep

laying next to you
the moon reflects on your face
as I watch you sleep

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

The Valley

he bridles his horse
and swings into the saddle
for a journey that’s long
and driven by passion

he left her in the valley
and the months had been hard
it was time to head home
and to her waiting arms

her voice was the wind
whispering in his ear
pushing him harder
bringing him near

he rides through the day
till he’s weary and beat
under unrelenting sun
and the desert’s dry heat

he spurs his horse onward
stars now light the sky
and when he beds down
he dreams of green eyes

he wakes very early
one more long day’s ride
till he’s back in the valley
till she’s by his side

once again he mounts
and gallops to the west
heading for the mountains
and an end to his quest

he’ll be there by nightfall
renewing all that he’d left
the months of pure torture
months feeling bereft

and the wind that blows on him
is gentle and sweet
she’s calling him home
this time never to leave

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

legends

your mind is living free
and the legend outlives
without any trust
or what it can give
always been a stranger
but you are in serious danger
of giving up arcane beliefs

let down your guard
you don't need protection
disregard the techno images
and live by random selection
your heart is not for sale
there is no price for its freedom
but all the things you use
are there longer than you need them

where is it that you go
when change is coming down?
who is it that you love?
that makes your heart pound
in a place of constant strangers
you are in serious danger
of giving up on your heart's beliefs

I can stay behind
or wait in the sidelines
while your love runs blindly away
let down your guard
you don't need protection from me
it has always been what I led you to believe

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

for my love

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

Glock 45

just like Jack Bauer
I load a Glock forty five
and my clip is full

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

end of the game

if you knew what was real
would you turn and run
from all that I feel, since I
knew you were the one

if I told you the truth
would it make your mind spin
what would you do
with your feelings within

would you respond in kind
with feelings the same
or pretend you are blind
with nothing to proclaim

if I give you my heart
what will remain
will it be a new start
or the end of this game

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