happiness

On love…

~ ~M ~ 9 Comments

Love can make a person crazy.
One moment we can be flying
high as a kite in bliss-filled folly,
and the next, be stuck knee-deep
in the fast forming muck of dolor.
Mostly makes me wonder,
is there ever an end?
Even though I already suspect
I know the answer,
I’ve still never figured out how
to live with the tragedies of love.
I just continue to remain tangled up
in all the delights and despairs,
entertaining the knock of love
whenever it happens to find me.
Seems like I would’ve learned
my lesson by now,
but I guess that just shows
the true value of love.
It’s worth more than any cost
we could ever bear.
So we open our arms to it,
time and time again,
hoping that someday
happiness will come along
instead of dismay.

© 2021 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/couple-romance-bike-bicycle-meadow-1718244/

 

After…

~ ~M ~ 6 Comments

And then the quiet came
Drenched with stillness
Like a room with no air
The light of day evaporated
Confined in a nothingness
A place of peace at last

© 2021 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/beauty-conceptual-dark-death-3881159/

The things I love…

~ ~M ~ 41 Comments

I love being wrapped in the
warmth of a summer sun-ray
or doused in the drizzle
of an unexpected storm.

I love waking up to the sound
of a lazy locomotive
or finding myself lost in a dream
holding hands with the one I love.

I love listening to the whimsical
notes of wind chimes
or falling under the spell of a
tranquil, babbling brook.

I love being silly while dancing
and singing my heart out
or laughing til my stomach aches,
tasting my own tears.

I love rolling out of bed early
to behold a sunrise in full bloom
or staying up late stargazing
on a blanket spread for two.

I love feeling the warmth of soft
sand squishing between my toes
or listening to boundless waves
as they break along the shore.

I love witnessing the colorful birth
of a brand new spring season
or gazing upon a baby bird
stretching its wings for first flight.

I love watching the pure
beauty of a fresh fallen snow
or hearing the rumble of thunder
dancing across an amethyst sky.

I love thinking about all these
things, the things I truly love.
The world is such a magical place
when we choose to see the magic.

© 2021 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/storm-thunderstorm-lightning-730472/

The nature of connection

~ ~M ~ 14 Comments

It’s easy to relinquish
those timeless devotions
when disappointments
become standard issue,
and the old familiar stack
of unexpected surprises
becomes a thing of the past.

It’s easy to disregard anything
that stops feeling like home
because the heart can’t reside
in hollowed out places,
and it needs a strong binding
to keep it grounded aside a
meaningful attachment.

Intrinsic to human nature,
it’s easy to surrender compulsion
when magnetic forces
end up misaligned;
the resistance is a force of nature
that cannot be manipulated,
for it goes against the natural law.

© 2021 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/spider-web-bokeh-dew-web-nature-2732246/

The battle of love…

~ ~M ~ 25 Comments

Oh why can’t we make love instead of war?

Isn’t love supposed to make the world go round?

And if a thing of beauty is a joy forever
Then where is this everlasting joy?

A soft answer surely turns away wrath
But what ends up taking its place?

I’m always hopeful that love will find a way
And yet the journey of a thousand miles must begin with that first step
I wonder… am I really ready to begin that expedition?

I’ve been reminded in recent days of how misery loves company
And a friend in need is a friend indeed
But if opportunity never knocks twice
Then how did I end up here?

Cold hands are supposed to equal a warm heart
So I’ve been looking for the chilliest weather I can find
But I know Rome wasn’t built in a day
And it seems that time is taking its own sweet time

It definitely takes two to tango
And you can’t teach an old dog new tricks
So where in the world does that leave me?

And don’t get me wrong…
I know you can’t win them all
But people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones
Especially since all is fair in love and war

© 2021 Michelle Cook

* Here’s a glimpse of some of my old writing, all the way back from 2016.

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/goodbye-kiss-couple-relationship-1441470/