Because I love you so much…

I find myself swimming
In the depths of your stare
Sometimes I look too long
Completely unaware

And yet you smile back
Catching me and my gaze
Knowing full well
How much you amaze

And I wonder how you do it
How I get so lost in your eyes
All-consuming intensity
The fire never dies

I can always feel you
Even if we don’t touch
It’s like fireworks in my soul
Because I love you so much

© 2021 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/street-photography-in-love-couple-2864021/

The things I love…

I love being wrapped in the
warmth of a summer sun-ray
or doused in the drizzle
of an unexpected storm.

I love waking up to the sound
of a lazy locomotive
or finding myself lost in a dream
holding hands with the one I love.

I love listening to the whimsical
notes of wind chimes
or falling under the spell of a
tranquil, babbling brook.

I love being silly while dancing
and singing my heart out
or laughing til my stomach aches,
tasting my own tears.

I love rolling out of bed early
to behold a sunrise in full bloom
or staying up late stargazing
on a blanket spread for two.

I love feeling the warmth of soft
sand squishing between my toes
or listening to boundless waves
as they break along the shore.

I love witnessing the colorful birth
of a brand new spring season
or gazing upon a baby bird
stretching its wings for first flight.

I love watching the pure
beauty of a fresh fallen snow
or hearing the rumble of thunder
dancing across an amethyst sky.

I love thinking about all these
things, the things I truly love.
The world is such a magical place
when we choose to see the magic.

© 2021 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/storm-thunderstorm-lightning-730472/

The battle of love…

Oh why can’t we make love instead of war?

Isn’t love supposed to make the world go round?

And if a thing of beauty is a joy forever
Then where is this everlasting joy?

A soft answer surely turns away wrath
But what ends up taking its place?

I’m always hopeful that love will find a way
And yet the journey of a thousand miles must begin with that first step
I wonder… am I really ready to begin that expedition?

I’ve been reminded in recent days of how misery loves company
And a friend in need is a friend indeed
But if opportunity never knocks twice
Then how did I end up here?

Cold hands are supposed to equal a warm heart
So I’ve been looking for the chilliest weather I can find
But I know Rome wasn’t built in a day
And it seems that time is taking its own sweet time

It definitely takes two to tango
And you can’t teach an old dog new tricks
So where in the world does that leave me?

And don’t get me wrong…
I know you can’t win them all
But people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones
Especially since all is fair in love and war

© 2021 Michelle Cook


* Here’s a glimpse of some of my old writing, all the way back from 2016.

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/goodbye-kiss-couple-relationship-1441470/

Inner battles

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/

When love is more than love

Sometimes love is more than love;
it just happens, and there isn’t a doubt.
And you try so hard to hold it in,
but you’d rather scream and shout.

And it’s funny how it catches you
in those moments you thought wouldn’t exist.
And once it takes hold of your heart,
there’s just no trying to resist.

Your soul is somehow captured,
beholden forevermore.
And you’re left at the mercy of things
you’d never even considered before.

The emotions are so overwhelming
as the feelings flood your body and soul.
And you find yourself losing
all that’s left of your self-control.

When love is more than love,
there’s no escaping its merciless grasp.
So instead, you breathe it all in
because you just wanna make it last
.

© 2020 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/couple-love-sunset-young-5028352/

Writing prompt: When love is more than love.