hardships

I’m ever happy with you

~ ~M ~ 15 Comments

This life…
It’s full of hardships
and battles we never see coming.

One minute, we’re going along
doing our thing
and the very next moment
we’re left perplexed by the audacity of others.

I like the little bubble I’m living in
but it periodically breaks
when the wills of others smash it to pieces.

I try to hold things together
and stay within the confines
of the happiest place I know.

Maybe others just want to get inside
and dwell in contentment too.

Sadly, there isn’t room for the whole world.

I let some people in
and some I hold captive for a while.

Others stay with me
because they don’t wanna be anywhere else,
and they can never imagine leaving.

Those are the ones I hold fast to with all my heart.

They’re the ones who keep me alive
and save me when the battles begin.

© 2024 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/christmas-background-wedding-couple-7335258/

Exquisite little things…

~ ~M ~ 7 Comments

Beauty lies in exquisite little things
and oh, the joy each one can bring

Tiny buds shooting up from the earth
does anyone notice their undeniable worth

A small hand that reaches out
when time is short and heartaches about

Do we see the love that’s clearly there
or do we sit uninterested without a care

The look from a friend, be it human or pet
compassions eye, causing us not to fret

Do we open our hearts and let the love rush in
as that smiling face tries to warm us from within

A tree that sways from a forest glen
welcoming us back time n time again

Do we notice how it gives a place to rest our feet
offering us a spot for introspection and retreat

The sky filled with glory of the heavenly kind
taking our breath away when we need to rewind

Do we stop and take notice, capturing the delight
or instead, look away, never noticing the light

The gift of a kind gesture, a selfless act from purest love
perhaps the presence of angels sent from above

Maybe we don’t see the treasure that’s always been right there
plagued by hardships and suffering, are we completely unaware?

© 2024 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/spring-flower-wild-flower-4042746/

Bent bristles and blended bananas

~ ~M ~ 6 Comments

You were the bent bristles
against my skin,
causing me to rethink
the situation I was in.

Your continuous brushing
left me wanting more;
I could finally see a rainbow
peeking through my door.

The color you displayed
forever touched my heart,
and my world turned so gray
when at last, we had to part.

Sort of like blended bananas
when they’re left out all day,
their pretty yellow hue
turns the color of dismay.

And it’s so very sad
the way we both had to leave;
the mere thought
is still so hard to conceive.

But at long last,
I’m seeing color once again;
my rainbow was always here
nestled deep within.

I think I was holding on
too tight to your light
when all along,
this was really just my fight.

© 2021 Michelle Cook

Photo credit:  https://pixabay.com/photos/reflection-woman-silhouette-umbrella-1082159/

Writing prompt: Bent bristles and blended bananas

Riding the current

~ ~M ~ 16 Comments

I’ve been stranded
Exiled in a way
Just another captive
Lost at sea
Riding the current
To another world
Hoping this reality
Is better than the last

© 2020 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/ocean-starry-sky-milky-way-rest-3605547/

Now the winter shivers

~ ~M ~ 18 Comments

kz-2063339_1280

Now the winter shivers
In this barren land.
Near and far the echoes
Without a welcome hand.

Now the winter clamors
As naysayers pave the way.
The vile commence each battle
What more is there to say.

Dimmer than the most atrocious
On the crowning of darkest night.
Sure-footed soldiers march into battle
Prepared for one more fight.

The world lies in anguish
No longer praying for relief.
Smack dab in the pit of sorrow
Buried in inescapable grief.

© 2019 Michelle Cook

The rhyme and meter of this poem, were inspired by the poetic works of Edna St. Vincent Millay, who wrote “Autumn Chant,” which can be found here.

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/kz-kz-dachau-konzentrationslager-2063339/