loss

Memories of you…

~ ~M ~ 21 Comments

Sky blue eyes
And a soft squishy belly
Kind warm smile
Often watching the telly

Passionately patriotic
And oh so humble
Hardly ever a complaint
Or any kind of grumble

Lover of his country
A soldier he became
Flying the flag high
In every parade

Talented carpenter
Was his dedicated trade
Whistling while he worked
A lovely tune and serenade

Green thumbed man
And lover of nature
His dedication to God
Should have made him a preacher

Skilled kite maker
And master kite flyer
Practically nothing
Could ever go higher

Lifesaver candies
And minty cigarettes
Things he would one day
Very much regret

Was it black coffee
Or earl grey tea?
As I contentedly bounced
On his never tiring knee

Crackers and sardines
He shared them well
Convincingly trying
To tell me they were swell

Tums for indigestion
He always had a pack
And even though it pained him
His smile never lacked

Rosy red cheeks
And an almost bald head
Read his Bible every night
Before going off to bed

Sadly enough
It’s now been too long
I can’t even remember
His favorite song

He now rests with grandma
Still whistling his serenades
And his kindhearted demeanor
Will certainly never fade

I miss him immensely
He gave me my love for life
But I’m so very thankful
He’s now free from pain and strife

© 2021 Michelle Cook

*This is an older poem, written in 2017. It was written in loving memory of my grandfather, who meant the world to me.

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/beach-bird-nature-ocean-outdoors-1846694/

Inner battles

~ ~M ~ 20 Comments

People come
and people go,
like the weather
is it all for show?

My deepest desire
is to see someone stay,
to keep a promise
and never go away.

Maybe I’m just needy
and want it all,
I tend to dream
of the impossible.

Regardless of everything
I want the love of a close friend,
one in which
I can always depend.

I believe that life
gives us what we give,
this is what allows us
to fully live.

So I try to relinquish
the tender parts of my heart,
I’ve always done this
from the very start.

But I know deep down,
I’ll never be the only one,
for I am merely
a fraction of the sum.

And yet sometimes I still forget
there isn’t just a “me,”
the equation is more
than what I can see.

Plain as day
and black as night,
this dose of reality
is my darkest plight.

I remind myself to accept
all that I can’t change,
even when life seeks
to rearrange.

There is nothing else
I can possibly do,
I can’t hold on
without the glue.

I’ve become accustomed
to letting life move past,
for I know dreams
they often don’t last.

I only wilt further
when I choose to hold too tight.
These are the battles
I continue to fight.

© 2020 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/tulip-wilted-dying-wilting-flower-3459282/

Jonathan Michael was his name

~ ~M ~ 18 Comments

If only I could’ve held him
Seen his lovely little face
But fate intervened
And he was lost
without a trace

I wonder what could’ve been
Our lives will never be the same
Some things we miss forever
And Jonathan Michael
was his name

© 2020 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/love-clouds-romance-sky-romantic-1381420/

Writing prompt: Jonathan Michael was his name

I miss my America

~ ~M ~ 26 Comments

I miss my America,
the land of the free
and the home of the brave.
Every day I see sadness,
war beaten faces
from battlefields,
found in my own backyard.
We used to be one nation
united under God.
We were indivisible with liberty
and practiced justice for all.
But how many people
even remember
our nation’s promised pledge.
The allegiance we swore
to the flag of our forefathers,
is a promise we failed to keep.
The roots of our republic
have somehow been forgotten
and the turmoil caused
from present day happenings
has torn the unity
straight from our hearts.
It’s a dishonor to our nation,
but even more so
a disgrace to our God.
Freedom of speech
never gave us the right to ruin
what our brave forefathers
fought to defend.

© 2020 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: Pixabay.com

The way love is…

~ ~M ~ 14 Comments

rose-165819_1280

We can love with all we’ve got
And we can give our hearts away
But that doesn’t necessarily mean
That the ones we love will stay

And sometimes there are people
Who just can’t love you back
No matter what we say or do
There’s something that they lack

And maybe it’s because
Some people just can’t see
The importance of a person
Who’d give everything like me

© 2019 Michelle Cook

Disjointed affirmations

~ ~M ~ 18 Comments

12

It’s in these dark moments
When the night is still
I sit quietly, listening for an answer
Even a whisper will do

But like all futile desires
I wait in abandoned apprehension
For I know the likelihood
Is a ruse I dare not believe

And why must I dwell on answers
That I know aren’t really there
It just seems easier
To surrender to defeat

© 2020 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/violinist-fantasy-inspiration-4972270/

Never

~ ~M ~ 11 Comments

people-3422435_1280

We never really hit it off ― he and I
but oh how we tried.

And it was lovely at first,
it really was,
until that fateful day.

The spell finally broke,
the magic drifted away,
and I think we both felt the sting.

But we also both craved
something deeper ― meaningful.
And that something
just couldn’t
be found.

© 2019 Michelle Cook

Destiny

~ ~M ~ 9 Comments

sunset-3156176_1280

Tragic are the days
Without a hand to hold
When love is miles away
And nights are forever cold

And as those days turn into years
Futility becomes our only lover
The heart begins to lose
Any chance to rediscover

We spend our remaining years
Sad and all alone
Without another person
To call our very own

And we regret the time
We wasted in between
It’s too bad our destiny
Remained unforeseen

© 2019 Michelle Cook

Listen to your mother…

~ ~M

One thing I’ve never done is written anything for obvious reasons.  Everything I write has a much deeper meaning, and few people are privy to the real interpretation.  And in a way, that is so much more satisfying to me because there are things I don’t want to have to explain to the world.  My true self is hidden somewhere within the words that scatter across every page I write.  All those cryptic words… most reminiscent of days long ago when the seasons couldn’t change fast enough; when life took me by surprise every goddamn day, messing with my heart and soul.  Seems like a lifetime ago, and yet it really wasn’t, or was it?  Those who think they know me, are only fooling themselves.  Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to judge a book by its cover? ~M