nature

Only One Earth

~ ~M ~ 23 Comments

I walk upon your rugged valleys;
I dance upon your golden shores.
Your unwavering resplendence
is what compels me to explore.

You’re a spinning top of wonder,
a creation whose pleasing to the eye,
and during my many excursions,
I’ve often stood in awe and cried.

Words just can’t describe you;
the heart of you cannot be explained.
And those who notice your glory
tend to stop and rollick in your rain.

Some seek to protect your beauty,
and yet others see a never-ending chore,
but those who truly love you
would do anything to make you more.

The magnificence of your vastness,
the provisions you supply the world for free,
are never taken for granted
by those who consider all they see.

You are everyone’s big ball of brilliance,
your grandeur spills out over the land,
and you will always be protected
by those who are willing to take a stand.

Written by, Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/earth-solar-sun-moon-universe-1281025/

*Written for World Environment Day in response to the campaign slogan for 2022, “Only One Earth.”

Earth

~ ~M ~ 38 Comments

I’ve trudged along your rocky outcroppings
and gathered your weathered body in my fist.

I’ve seen the many layers of you erode over time
and sought solace in the beauty of your unexplainable existence.

I’ve discovered all I am in the vast valleys of your heart
and stood in awe as your snow-capped peaks towered over me.

And there’s never been a single day that I haven’t wept in your glorious presence
because your divine nature pulls all my sorrows right out of my soul.

© 2022 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/beach-red-hot-heat-extreme-desert-3444038/

The sound of serenity

~ ~M ~ 57 Comments

The lazy days of summer
are by and by, fading away;
I hear it as the breeze
sashays through the trees.

Wind chimes join the waltz,
each elegant note
sounding the arrival
of crisp fall days ahead.

The sweet serenade
brings inner peace
and infuses my spirit
with the sound of serenity.

© 2021 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/sunset-sun-sky-fields-grass-4329161/

Renewal

~ ~M ~ 38 Comments

we blossom just like
the flowers of the fields

as they begin their unfolding
we too are transformed
by their loveliness

mesmerized by their colorful
and ever radiant displays

we become lost in the
intricacies of each
miraculous new birth

finding ourselves
unable to exhale

stood statue still in
reverence and awe

praying silently that we don’t
upset the serenity
of such wondrous splendor

capturing in our minds what
we could never fully recreate
on our own

we remain in that still and
silent state of being

consumed by the lush
confines of such exquisite
extravagance

and we are once again
renewed by the unveiling
of new life

© 2021 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/girl-poppy-sunset-nature-field-3665851/

Marveling over mushrooms

~ ~M ~ 47 Comments

There’s a small city
I never really see,
right outside
in front of me.

It’s hidden in the glen
thickets deep,
where the clover
likes to creep.

The little city bustles
with a steady flow
of creatures so tiny
they’re hard to know.

So, at last, today,
I opened my eyes,
shook to my core
by the loveliest surprise.

A small city
I’d never really seen,
right outside,
all for me.

© 2021 Michelle Cook

Photo credit: © 2021 Michelle Cook