Let’s leave the past, to live where it died.

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I keep trying
to forget the past.
To leave all the hurts
buried deep
on that old,
empty road.
The place where
I was deserted,
left choking on remorse.
But everybody
wants answers,
and nobody understands
that I can’t breathe.
And when I’m forced
back on that road,
I can’t heal
or even catch my breath.
The air over there
is stifling.
And so many
broken dreams
are still dangling
in the wind.
I can’t keep
reaching out,
grasping hopelessly
at those lifeless strands.
So please,
I’m begging you,
let’s just leave the past
to live where it died.
Or else this life
won’t be worth living
at all.

© 2020 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/people-woman-walking-hike-trek-2569740/

He lingers…

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He lingers nearby
On the edge of the page
The page we’re still writing
Where love continues to blossom
Unfolding ever so delicately
And he’s mesmerized
By the mind-boggling splendor
His eyes so bright
Enthusiastically consumed
With the miraculous happenings
Of what he observes
And he stays a little longer
Leaning in for a closer view
Lingering in the loveliness
Of our imperishable page
So beautifully written
Full of all the days we’ve shared
Memories of us
And the many years we’ve loved

© 2020 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/address-book-notebook-notes-2246432/

The devil in disguise

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Sometimes people cure you
of ever wanting them again
because after enough time,
the realness of them
becomes painfully obvious.

And then it’s hard not to notice,
to see past their ugliness,
to find the beauty deep inside.

And I couldn’t see it anymore,
even though I searched
for years and years.

The disturbing nature
of what I found beneath,
left me wondering if I’d ever
had any sensibility at all.

I am now left in disbelief
of how wrong I truly was.
My overall assessment
was so flawed with personal bias.

But love is blind like that,
and he was the master of deceit.
I suppose he’s summed up best
as the devil in disguise.

© 2020 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/angel-devil-evil-daemon-horror-4198383/

Jumbled like Jenga

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Cardboard boxes
End to end
Will I ever see
This floor again

Jumbled like Jenga
Teetering towers
At this point I’ve got
Superpowers

Lifting, squatting,
Moving mountains
Nothing else rhymes
Except for fountains

Dizzy from exertion
I could really use a break
But my will isn’t willing
To negotiate

I’ve gotta get this done
No time to waste
Cause right now I’m feeling
So displaced

And once this is finished
I’ll have me some fun
For I’ll have earned my day
Of sitting in the sun

© 2020 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/box-memories-photos-books-1209969/

Foredoomed

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I recognize your face
Longing for freedom
Submerged in a life
Forbidden of change

The mirror stares back
Unyielding in its curse
For destiny cannot deny
What the universe allows

To forsake the chosen course
Is as foolhardy as the thought
And death would surely enjoy
The aftermath of the volition

So count your numbered days
And live them while you can
The voyage to the other side
Will never carry you home

© 2020 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/desktop-people-human-hand-man-3170198/