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/
Do you ever feel
like you can’t reach out,
like nobody will understand
what you’re all about.
Do you ever feel
like you don’t fit in,
and you wish you could change
all your thoughts within.
Do you ever feel
like the world waves you away,
as if you don’t matter
like you’ve nothing to say.
Do you ever feel
like you’re doing it all wrong,
and no matter what you try
you still don’t feel strong.
Do you ever feel
like you’re hopelessly lost,
but you still try to continue,
knowing what giving up costs.
Do you ever feel
like a failure or mistake,
going through the motions
even when your enthusiasm is fake.
Do you ever feel
like you just can’t get things right,
but you know you can’t surrender;
not without a fight.
Do you ever feel
like you shouldn’t say a word,
because everyone might think
your words are just absurd.
Do you ever feel
like you hold back all your grief,
and you wish in desperation
for a minute of relief.
Do you ever feel
like nobody will understand,
and you wish for somebody
to come along and hold your hand.
Do you ever feel
like someone should listen,
but at long last, you realize
you are no magician.
© 2022 Michelle Cook
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/girl-lonely-sunset-sad-loneliness-5560212/
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
Familiar chapters
The lifestyles we all once knew
Alas gone from view
© 2021 Michelle Cook
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/space-room-interior-empty-4231460/
Writing prompt: Puffed pastries and bric-a-brac
Loneliness
it comes in many forms
and I have known them all.
But I think the loneliest times
are when I’m surrounded
by a sea of expressionless faces.
Those empty-eyed, silent beings
always appear to be lost in
mind-numbing, alien-sweeping,
brain-snatching activity.
And if I stare intently enough,
focusing long and hard enough,
I can almost see those denatured
souls being surreptitiously sucked
out of every finger-tapping mortal
who has unknowingly fallen victim
to the technological advances
of our times.
It often leaves me queasy
and fearfully uneasy.
For I must admit that I too,
have fallen subject to the
interest of self-isolation
within the matrix.
Using it as a security blanket
for companionship
because community
no longer exists
within the confines
of my existence.
There are instances
when I do attempt
to turn the world around.
And with desperate breath
I try to disengage
from the illuminated rectangle
nestled nice and neat
between my pale palms.
But then loneliness sneaks in,
finding me once again.
And the screen in my hands
becomes the only life left
to be found.
© 2021 Michelle Cook
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/portrait-woman-black-and-white-2308893/
Her Writing Haven 