Silent killer,
invisible threat,
wrapped around my heart
like an all-consuming net.
Tugging, squeezing,
barely able to breathe,
this is the reason
why I endlessly grieve.
The elephant in the room
gets heavier on my heart,
feels like my insides
are being ripped apart.
Loss is a thing
I cannot seem to bear;
still, the weight of it
follows me everywhere.
© 2022 Michelle Cook
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/waterdrop-grief-trauerkarte-4447343/
Like a geyser, I gush,
spurting my rage,
but it’s all underneath,
turmoil engaged.
From the top of my head
to the bottom of my feet,
the swells of unrest
continue to heat.
The storm grows stronger,
destruction in its wake.
Still, I try to breathe calmly,
fearing I might break.
And nobody ever knows
the misery I endure;
It’s all just a façade,
a superficial blur.
© 2022 Michelle Cook
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/grief-woman-cry-destruction-pain-5501796/
Silent shelved hopes
and bitter tears;
lifeless and disfigured
by mascara smears.
With gloom-wrapped shoulders,
she reaches out a hand,
but the majority pass by her,
and few can understand.
So she sits in stilled anguish,
waiting for a promising sign,
but the world is relentless
and only seeks to undermine.
She realizes she’s a burden,
another rift in society.
And so she sits and languishes
for all she’ll never be.
© 2021 Michelle Cook
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/homeless-beggar-woman-poverty-cry-3584319/
Writing prompt: A bottle of hope sat on the shelf
The afternoon settles
into a quiet calm.
But it’s here
in this noiseless state,
where I find myself interrupted
by restless winds.
Those unexpected currents
stir up buried memories
of regretful sighs
and uneasy bitter truths.
Then with trepidation
coursing through my veins,
a quiet declaration is made.
I move in silent determination,
carefully traversing
those frustrating fields,
where chaotic blooms
begin to mushroom in my mind.
At last taking control,
seizing those past reflections,
wrestling with the delirium
of all those unspoken things.
And finally after hours
of agonizing lamentations,
those lingering grievances
begin to crumble
inside an iron-gripped will.
All those listless thoughts
long in their coming,
turning to ash,
fluttering lifelessly to the ground,
tasting their very last words.
© 2021 Michelle Cook
Photo credit: Pixabay.com
A clump of bitter thoughts
Courses through my mind
If only I could strangle my emotions
And leave the world behind
But my rage is in full bloom
Bursting with savage, ugly truths
And if it wasn’t so damn hot
I’d shout my anguish from the roofs
And there’s also a pile of ash
Circling round my head
I can never seem to catch it
And it’s something that I dread
So adding to my frustration
I’m dealing with all of that too
And I wonder how does one cross-over
When they can never see their way thru
© 2019 Michelle Cook
For a month of writing prompts, click here; Misaligned and malevolent
Her Writing Haven 