joy

The end of an era

~ ~M ~ 8 Comments

We have but one journey,
and the path is never straight.

We think we have lots of time,
but like sand, it can’t be held.

We learn after the goal is complete
that the end is really the beginning.

We realize all of our joyous moments
have been happening all along.

We discover that the journey
was never about reaching our destination.

We notice all the people we’ve met
were never there to stay.

We feel bittersweet and unsettled
by all the things we’ve accomplished.

We are grateful for the sunset
reminding us to live in the here and now.

© 2025 Michelle Cook

Photo generated with AI

How it all began…

~ ~M ~ 5 Comments

I didn’t know him anymore
And I couldn’t find me
Then suddenly like a light
You were all I could see

A breath of fresh air
A vice ripped from my chest
And finally I knew
You were the thing I loved best

© 2024 Michelle Cook

Photo generated with AI

Prismatic ponderings

~ ~M ~ 12 Comments

I begin to slowly die
whenever you’re away
disheartened by the absence
of your colorful array

An achromatic rainbow
is all that I can conjure
my mind’s eye being
desolate and somber

But then you return
like a prism in my mind
blotting out the bleakness
with a feeling undefined

My world becomes a haven
and my heart beats anew
saturated by all the colors
spilled on me by you

© 2024 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/water-fight-friends-beach-woman-636761/

Some people…

~ ~M ~ 19 Comments

Some people
are perpetually sad
it’s hard to talk to them
they might get mad

Other people
are always happy
they’re easy to love
and make others sappy

Some people
are just hard to figure out
one minute smiling
the next it’s a shout

I like the people
who are easy to read
you always know exactly
what they need

I struggle with people
who can never share
It’s really hard to tell
if they even care

My favorite people
are the laughing kind
they know just how
to help me unwind

My least favorite people
are the constant complainers
they suck out the satisfaction
and are endless drainers

But I think overall
people are mostly great
some can be crabby
but to most I relate

© 2024 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/people-women-talking-laugh-happy-2567915/

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/