Just reflecting

Do you ever wonder why things
can’t be as they were
Time always changes things
and causes such a stir

People eventually change
and that’s because everyone grows
still I miss the old ways
and change I do oppose

I miss when my kids were little
the times of simple bliss
now the world has gotten so hectic
everything’s amiss.

I struggle with the here and now
and the moments way back then
still knowing I’d never want to do
all those years again

As great as they really were
life was hard then too
I guess I need to remember that
whenever I’m feeling blue

One never really thinks
about the day their children will leave
and it’s sad when they forget you
It’s something you forever grieve

I know my very own parents
probably feel the exact same way
but the distance makes it harder
and so we drift away.

And friends are difficult to follow
everyone’s here and there
but there’s only one of me
though I’d love to be everywhere

And now that I am older
I find myself learning to be still
sinking into the background
not looking for a thrill

Still I am very happy
and maybe more content than most
but very humbly I say that
for I’d never want to boast

I do enjoy my life though
and yet some days are still so sad
but they’re few and far between
and for that I’m really glad

And today I’m just reflecting
missing those who’ve gone afar
and I think I’ve come to accept
I have to leave them where they are

© 2023 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/young-woman-meadow-lie-relax-girl-2194038/

Silent killer

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/

Ignored

Body shocked
every nerve;
this is not
what’s deserved
.

Molten lava
flows through veins,
trying hardest
to refrain.

Many questions,
nothing found.
Oh, this strain,
so profound.

Gut-wrenching,
gnawing sadness,
heartbroken,
this is madness.

Neglected now
and evermore.
Guess I’m just
a big fat bore.

© 2022 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/flower-road-dandelion-alone-path-1812470/

Nighttime whispers

The past still beckons me,
though my future is clear.
Still, it’s hard to leave behind
all the things we once held dear.

Unfortunately, people change,
and our hearts wail in disbelief.
And those unspoken topics
are the bearers of our grief.

Woeful whispers in the night
tend to fuel my disheartened spirit.
I try to bandage my bleeding heart,
but nothing can ever cure it.

So many things I want to forget,
but there’s nothing I can undo.
So I spend my days looking for ways
to begin my life anew.

Written by, Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/sci-fi-fantasy-moon-couple-7143964/

Writing prompt, courtesy of my hubby: Nighttime whispers.

Stay

Why does happiness have to be so fleeting?
We think we can hold onto it, but it’s ever taking flight.
Happiness can morph into madness in an instant
or be extinguished in a sad, unexpected moment like a moth to a flame.
If only I could hold it always and keep it safely cradled against my chest.
But happiness always finds a way to elude me.
I’m watching right now as it inconspicuously floats away.

© 2022 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/heart-balloon-sky-love-red-balloon-1046693/