There’s a lone tree I see,
reminds me
of what used to be.
I try not to fall under its spell,
as it takes me back to the place
where I once fell.
Looking at it now,
my heart just cries.
Why’d it take me so long
to realize.
Life is good now,
so I turn away,
choosing to leave
all those memories at bay.
© 2022 Michelle Cook
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/tree-lonely-alone-heaven-stars-4543580/
Choosing what to remember,
often looking beyond,
time has been kind to me;
the memories are fond.
I could sink into a slew
of unfavorable recollections,
but my heart knows the cost
of unsightly reflections.
So the bright side wins out,
neither a regret nor a sigh,
and I never feel too bad
when my head is in the sky.
Others may decide to loiter
in the pit of despair,
but why would sensible me
ever choose to go there.
© 2021 Michelle Cook
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/young-woman-sitting-overlooking-731142/
After years of careful collaboration
between architects, artists, and engineers,
the skyline, at last, exploded
in a grand, gridiron fashion.
The smokestacks of the past
all became the skyscrapers of the future.
But, noticeably, nothing ever really changed
except the city’s outer physique.
The conscientious construct
paved the way for future endeavors,
but commercial enterprise
didn’t stand a chance.
Industry rocketed into the future,
but in the end, nobody could hold on.
And we all know the laws of physics
will sadly never change.
© 2021 Michelle Cook
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/architecture-skyscraper-2256489/
Thank you to my hubby for the writing prompt: Gridiron greatness
*Also, I know he probably expected me to write about football, but sometimes a writer just can’t be swayed. 😉
The afternoon settles
into a quiet calm.
But it’s here
in this noiseless state,
where I find myself interrupted
by restless winds.
Those unexpected currents
stir up buried memories
of regretful sighs
and uneasy bitter truths.
Then with trepidation
coursing through my veins,
a quiet declaration is made.
I move in silent determination,
carefully traversing
those frustrating fields,
where chaotic blooms
begin to mushroom in my mind.
At last taking control,
seizing those past reflections,
wrestling with the delirium
of all those unspoken things.
And finally after hours
of agonizing lamentations,
those lingering grievances
begin to crumble
inside an iron-gripped will.
All those listless thoughts
long in their coming,
turning to ash,
fluttering lifelessly to the ground,
tasting their very last words.
© 2021 Michelle Cook
Photo credit: Pixabay.com
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/
Her Writing Haven 