Just reflecting

Do you ever wonder why things
can’t be as they were
Time always changes things
and causes such a stir

People eventually change
and that’s because everyone grows
still I miss the old ways
and change I do oppose

I miss when my kids were little
the times of simple bliss
now the world has gotten so hectic
everything’s amiss.

I struggle with the here and now
and the moments way back then
still knowing I’d never want to do
all those years again

As great as they really were
life was hard then too
I guess I need to remember that
whenever I’m feeling blue

One never really thinks
about the day their children will leave
and it’s sad when they forget you
It’s something you forever grieve

I know my very own parents
probably feel the exact same way
but the distance makes it harder
and so we drift away.

And friends are difficult to follow
everyone’s here and there
but there’s only one of me
though I’d love to be everywhere

And now that I am older
I find myself learning to be still
sinking into the background
not looking for a thrill

Still I am very happy
and maybe more content than most
but very humbly I say that
for I’d never want to boast

I do enjoy my life though
and yet some days are still so sad
but they’re few and far between
and for that I’m really glad

And today I’m just reflecting
missing those who’ve gone afar
and I think I’ve come to accept
I have to leave them where they are

© 2023 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/young-woman-meadow-lie-relax-girl-2194038/

Alone

Alone is a place
I know so well
It’s the place I dream
The place I dwell

It gets dreary in here
And I get scared of the dark
But my flame isn’t extinguished
You should see my spark

People pass by
But they cannot see
All the color of life
Right inside of me

Come take a look
You’ll see that it’s true
I have a heart
Just like you

© 2023 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: @Lanazi00

Life’s doorways

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/

Silent killer

Silent killer,
invisible threat,
wrapped around my heart
like an all-consuming net.
Tugging, squeezing,
barely able to breathe,
this is the reason
why I endlessly grieve.
The elephant in the room
gets heavier on my heart,
feels like my insides
are being ripped apart.
Loss is a thing
I cannot seem to bear;
still, the weight of it
follows me everywhere.

© 2022 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/waterdrop-grief-trauerkarte-4447343/

Lovesickness

Lovesickness;
don’t catch it;
you’ll never be the same.

Seriously,
don’t contract it;
you‘ll only have yourself
to blame.

To prevent it,
you’ve got to avoid it
by looking the other way.

And don’t dare spread it
if you come down with it,
or the whole world
will be full of dismay.

© 2022 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/people-couple-heartbreak-rejection-3422435/