Potential

~ ~M ~ 2 Comments

I looked down
and there you were
an annoyance of nature
a small scratchy burr

Little did I realize
what you were about to do
such beautiful potential
nestled in my shoe

A mystery waiting
so eager to unfold
I tossed you aside
then your roots took hold

And what I saw later
was the biggest surprise
you blossomed to life
shedding your tiny disguise

Once barren and brown
with a prickly outer shell
now all grown up
birthed from where you fell

It’s amazing to see
what you’ve become
once such a nuisance
now flourishing in the sun

© 2025 Michelle Cook

Photo generated with AI

There are days…

~ ~M ~ 23 Comments

There are days
when everything is right,
days when all the fields
shine so bright.

But today is not
one of those days,
instead, it’s just proof
of how nobody prays.

Today the sun
has lost her glow,
and the rain sent instead
has been all just for show.

Fattened gray clouds
still gush in sheets,
flooding sunken corners
on empty streets.

Sorry puddles
reflect sullen skies,
waters blurry black
like mascara eyes.

Echos of harsh words
woven in the winds,
a mournful reminder
of how the story always ends.

© 2025 Michelle Cook

Photo generated with AI

Soar

~ ~M ~ 25 Comments

A dandelion seed
That’s what you are
Neither here nor there
Gliding gleefully
Flying ever so high
The current as your companion

Floating on the sea of life
I see you there and I’m smiling
As the sun shines upon your face
Listening to the birdsong of tranquility
Holding steadfast to the feather of peace
As the waves of contentment wash over your beautiful soul

Happiness abides within you
Carrying you to the ends of the earth
A heart so full of blissful wonder
A head so unaware of the passing of time
All the things that really matter
You’ve found them
Now hold on tight

© 2025 Michelle Cook

Photo generated with AI

More of me and you

~ ~M ~ 11 Comments

He could always inspire me
no matter time or day
Like two peas in a pod
we’d finish what each would say

But the difference was
he could never love me like you
He only really wanted
to tell me what to do

I felt guilty when I wouldn’t
ashamed for who I was
Becoming very lonely
all just because

And I realized what I was doing
I wasn’t living for myself
I was trying to give someone
what they couldn’t give themself

Those years were difficult to weather
so glad they eventually blew
In the end I found what I needed
more of me and you

© 2025 Michelle Cook

Photo generated with AI

Trying…

~ ~M ~ 9 Comments

We take the good with the bad, all the while just praying that the next thing that comes isn’t more of the stuff that keeps us awake at night. Our minds drift in and out of memories, some too hard to cling to for very long. Those are the recollections we try to leave behind, but they end up sitting like an undigestible pit, and oh, the ache they bring! I try only to remember the good, but oh, how the bad torments me so. The bad seems to weigh significantly more and is noticeably burdensome as it tugs at my side. The good is light and fluffy, like a soft, comfy pillow. And yet, it’s much easier to forget the good, as I’ve become so immersed in its feeling that I soon forget where it came from in the first place. But we mustn’t forget! Happiness and good days should be cherished and treasured without fail; the locket of bright and lovely things should be kept close to our hearts so we have it with us wherever we go. Today, I’m holding onto the good, trying to erase most of the bad. I may not get there, but at least I’m trying.

© 2025 Michelle Cook

Photo generated with AI