The Ring

Last night I took the ring
And removed it from my hand
A lot of mixed emotions
In this little band

I remember when you put it on
And we said “I do”
Forever didn’t last that long
Longer for me than you

How could love just disappear
I’ll never understand
Your body here but not your soul
And that I didn’t plan

My future now uncertain
My outlook very bleak
It will take me a good while
To get back on my feet

I close the box with the ring
And hide it from my view
I don’t want it any more
It hurts to think of you

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

oasis

I could see it off in the distance
it beckons: an oasis to the parched
a haze of palm trees and flowing fountains
shade and respite, laughter and love
an offering of the sweetest wine, a promise of a lifetime

mirage--the closer I get the further off it seems
never quite able to grasp or taste
to drink my fill of you
the wind blows, the sand shifts
the oasis no longer visible
if it was ever there at all

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

the beast

you fed the beast
and nursed its growth
it's devouring your spirit,
absorbing your soul
now out of control it
obliterates the night
massive paws sweeping
the stars from your sky

unable to stop the
apocalypse that builds
a tourniquet untwisted
as the truth is revealed
too late to impede, the
demolition goes on
the beast you created
destroying your love

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

do you miss me

tell me, do you miss me?
as you look for yourself out there
was I the sun that warmed your day
and the moon that lit your night?
was I a perfect mountain breeze
a soft whisper in your ear?
tell me, do you miss me?
as you look for yourself out there

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

fate runs late

you looked left
as I turned right
it lasted much longer
than just one night
we were up and down
playing blind man's bluff
was I way too much
or just not enough
either way we make a mistake
fate runs late,

fate runs late

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

Linger

Linger just a little while
Before you have to go
I don't know where the time went
But it did not go slow

Linger just a little while
Make our loving long
It seems each time you’re leaving
A longer time you’re gone

Linger on the nape of my neck
And the places you know best
Caring, sensitive, ardent
Until our love does crest

Linger just a little while
Set my world on fire
So I can lock it in my soul
The fervor you inspire

Linger just a little while
One long passionate kiss
Make it a really good one
One I’ll really miss!

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

over the wall

over the wall and past the sentries
at their posts fast asleep
undetected in you slip
resurrecting an alien dream

defenseless is this state I'm in
things kept in check by day
seeping from an unguarded heart
you erode them slowly away

moonlight through the window
a kiss on moistened lips
hands that elicit passion
all that I have missed

stirring softly, moans escape
continuing without demands
eyes can't see behind the lids
closed tightly to hold this in

the sun arrives and I open my eyes
wonder takes its place
not a dream, you are next to me
a smile on your sleeping face

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

margin call

the piper makes a margin call
you pay with purest silver
a Judas kiss placed on the lips
of dreams that leave you quivering

shadows stretch across the lawns
the traffic lights are red
thoughts race through a busy mind
as you downshift into dread

nothing that was promised
has come forth to fruition
going past the mountains
with all of their superstitions

on you drive past sleeping valleys
nestled in open ranges
the sun sinks low--night settles in
but the crescent moon looks strange

damn the piper and the devil's dues
the deck was always stacked
you paid out with heart and soul
and it's too late to turn back

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

a place

there's a place I look for
the only shadows from trees
open windows and doors
you right next to me

there's a place I look for
where the sun is your smile
the stars are your eyes
the sky the limits of your love

there's a place I look for
a place in your thoughts
a place in your soul
a place in your heart

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

long lost fantasy

I told the thoughts goodbye

waived them adieu 
as I put them all away
I won't go back and visit

nor do I wish to relieve
that long lost fantasy

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

Inner Peace

Another day, the sun is low
Setting in the west
All is as it should be
No different from the rest

Listening to my mp3
And thinking about you
Sitting on the patio
Nothing I need to do

Smiling about the things you say
I’m happy and at ease
My days didn’t always end this way
You have this affect on me

You’ve restored my inner peace
You’ve restored my repose
You’ve restored some things I lost
You’ve restored much more

I know that you are thinking of me
As I am thinking of you
Watching the same sunset
Each sunset that now seems new

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

the fog

the fog rolls in
blanketing my soul
there’s something I’ve lost

I had it yesterday
when the sun filled my sky
when I was at peace

you were here yesterday
is that the difference?
where you the sun that filled my sky?

all I know is
now you are gone
and something has changed

when will my sun shine again
and remove this fog
that surrounds my earth?

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

lost

the water deep, cold
I’m in way over my head
flailing, sinking, lost

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

no end

you always thought there would be no end

that like the willow, I would always bend 

but there comes a point, like it did for me

when you've had enough and have to leave

like your favorite jeans that have started to fray

you remember my eyes but my scent now fades

when you think there's no where that I'm gonna go

I've paid the piper for all that I owed

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

New Year

a New Year at midnight

and what's to behold

in with a new one

and out with the old

let the problems of the last

be buried under silt

with all of the anguish

and all of the guilt

may the new one be shiny

with promise and love

with all of God's grace

and His light from above

may angels watch over

and bless us each one

from the coldness at dusk

and the new warmth at dawn

let the problems abait

let us all have some fun

making new memories

as each day's begun

trapped for our keeping

in a golden web spun

and lastly, four years

with an awesome home run

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

all because of you

all of the bricks that formed the wall
I count each one as they do fall
some knew little about me at all
one of them was you

thoughts I savored in my mind
footsteps leaving that behind
how could I have been so blind
when I dreamed of you

each nuance; every little trace
as each tears fall freely down my face
leaving something to be replaced
it was all about you

and now it all disappears
all of the hopes and all of the fears
freedom comes after all of these years
all because of you

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

New Year

Nurture
Each
Wish

Yesterday
Ends
A New Year dawns
Resplendent

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

New Year toast

a toast....
may your fantasies become fact
may all your dreams be realized
may all your hopes come true

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

dreaming in color

I'm learning to dream in color again
I rest in sleep 'til the dawn creeps in
no closed doors or fencing surrounds
wide open views that do abound

the mountains purple with skies of blue
sweeping to the valley with wondrous hues
the breeze sings a song with a new tune
I know the reason--it's because of you

the unanswered knocks on those old doors
millions of questions without answers for
like a child's game I tallied the score
I couldn't win but went back for more

but now I dream in color again
I rest in sleep 'til the dawn creeps in
paid the piper for all past sins
removing the loss is the best revenge

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

skies of blue

one last look, at the past as it drifts
across the mountains into the sea of rifts
no safety nets or easy rides
on the wave of life or ocean tide

I meant every word, played every part
the stars in the sky that blinded my heart
I wouldn't change even one little thing
what heartaches fall and memories bring

I look in the mirror and face the fears
was it just a moment or many a year
as I lose track of what it means
tears fall fast from eyes of green

I write my messages on your wall
the comments that mean nothing at all
thoughts of fair weather and skies of blue
and all I dreamed I saw in you

it was all there, every single part
every lyric ever sang right from the start
at midnight Cinderella had to run
and two fades quickly into one

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

let's

let's share all that this love allows 

the minutes and hours, the here and the now 

without any secrets or crossed-fingered vows 

let's share all that this love allows 

let's stay here longer, right in this spot 

let yesterday's problems, now be forgot

the petals fall...loves me, loves me not 

let's stay here longer, right in this spot

let's not let the blue skies turn into storms 

keeping each other safe, loved and warm

from the darkness of night into each new dawn 

let's not let the blue skies turn into storms 

let's share all that this love allows 

the minutes and hours, the here and the now 

without any secrets or crossed-fingered vows

let's share all that this love allows

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

Happy Holidays to you all!

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

the sleep of angels

my head rests on your shoulder
I listen to your heart beat
your breathing soft and even
while you lay deep in sleep

my face hidden in shadows
the darkness of the room
the stars drift from the evening
and clouds conceal my moon

why can't I just surrender
and dream the way you do
just sleep the sleep of angels
when I lay down my truth

with my head on your shoulder
I listen to your heart beat
the love song that it's playing

the lyrics just for me

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

the gift

the best gift that I ever received
arrived in boots and faded jeans
it wasn't Christmas--early July
much flirtation was applied

wrapped in wit and humorous quotes
for me there was no antidotes
I fell deeply under his charm
this one that keeps me safe from harm

so much alike, it's down right scary
always happy, not ever contrary
makes me happy in every way
exactly for the love I prayed

on a ranch we make our home
with a pug that likes to roam
and so this gift, the pug and I
live happily under a big blue sky

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

summerize

where truth isn't resented

all I summerize

shines like true love

in once covered eyes

it twinkles like the stars

on an uncloudy night

no longer unspoken

no longer disguised

all that was hidden

and was compromised

washed over and over

were they satisfied?

but all of the cleansing

what they sanitized

should come back to haunt them

should they be surprised?

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