joy

The boy

~ ~M ~ 14 Comments

The boy lived
With the hopes of wine
Something soothing
Something sublime

The boy hoped
For the love of her
Something different
Something sure

The boy loved
All the ease she brought
Something beautiful
Something sought

The boy eased
Into the life she rendered
Something exquisite
Something surrendered

The boy lived
Without the doubt he’d held
Something changed
Something expelled

The boy doubted
All the world would see
Something splendid
Something free

The boy whirled
With the joy he’d acquired
Something unexpected
Something required

© 2023 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/nature-people-autumn-boy-couple-2941085/

Life’s doorways

~ ~M ~ 17 Comments

There’s a doorway to destruction;
it seems to find me every day;
I take different paths to avoid it
and look for the merrier way.

There’s also a doorway to delight;
it finds me less than other doors;
oh, but when it does find me,
I’m sent up a hundred floors!

There’s a doorway to regret
and another that opens to grief;
thankfully, neither stays open long,
so that’s quite a relief.

There’s also a doorway to peace
and another that leads to fun;
both are best enjoyed
walking through with a bit of sun.

My favorite door of all
is the one that leads to love,
but I have to be open to finding it,
sometimes needing a little shove.

There’s a doorway to adventure,
one that I look for every day,
and when I eventually find it,
It’s like being on holiday.

Some doors are pretty,
and others I’m afraid to touch,
but those that are welcoming
always mean so much.

I’m excited yet cautious
to see where most of them go;
I know if I’m too afraid to open one,
I’ll never really know.

The right door for me
might be the wrong door for you;
I guess none of us will ever know
until we’ve opened quite a few.

I’m grateful for so many choices
and the opportunities to succeed;
I hope you find your door today,
the one you really need.

© 2022 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/doorway-beach-opening-entrance-981803/

I can’t live without you…

~ ~M ~ 26 Comments

If only everyone were like you,
but then you wouldn’t be so special to me.
It’s your uniqueness that makes me adore you,
and you’re all that I can see.
There isn’t another I’d rather spend my time with;
nobody else will ever do.
You’re the one I want to share my whole life with;
I just can’t live without you.

© 2022 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/love-word-heart-text-seem-red-771009/

This world

~ ~M ~ 15 Comments

I haven’t figured out yet
why hatred exists,
but it swirls around me;
why must it persist?

It saddens my heart,
this destruction of men,
and I wonder how it started,
or has it always been?

The meanness of this world
lingers all around;
I try to tip-toe right by it
but still, I am found.

A jab in the stomach,
a slap to the face,
always forced to feel
like such a disgrace.

Sadly, this evil lurks
behind every innocent-looking door;
it robs us of our freedoms,
and we’re shunned forevermore.

But a few sympathetic hugs
or some kindhearted smiles
can cause a trail of love
to spread on for miles.

So even when we’re bullied,
we’ve got to fight from within;
instead of spreading more hatred,
there is a better way to win.

Open up your heart
and kiss away despair;
all you have to do
is show how much you care.

The world may drown in hatred,
but you can still survive;
by being humble and gentle,
your spirit will continue to thrive.

Don’t listen to the haters;
you know what you carry inside.
And no matter what happens,
never forget how hard you tried.

© 2022 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/tree-clouds-fields-grass-832079/

Glum?

~ ~M ~ 26 Comments

Look out your window;
what do you see?

Certainly, birds must be chirping
so cheerily.

So why can’t you
do the very same?

Look up at the sky
and adjust your frame.

Focus on the view,
take it all in.

Find the joy
where it’s always been.

© 2022 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/photoshop-young-woman-sky-field-4405807/