Stay

Why does happiness have to be so fleeting?
We think we can hold onto it, but it’s ever taking flight.
Happiness can morph into madness in an instant
or be extinguished in a sad, unexpected moment like a moth to a flame.
If only I could hold it always and keep it safely cradled against my chest.
But happiness always finds a way to elude me.
I’m watching right now as it inconspicuously floats away.

© 2022 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/heart-balloon-sky-love-red-balloon-1046693/

In-between the gloom

Heavy hearts
and ruined days
Sunlight sparkles
shadowed by haze
And yet in-between
is a glimmer of gold
A future so bright
the perfect secret untold
Layers of pristine petals
align in an exquisite array
Carpeting our path
showing us the way
Guiding our footsteps
providing us with hope
A gentle reminder
helping us to cope

© 2022 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/pink-rose-papillon-petals-in-water-3580202/

Diminished divinity

Her hair smelled of lavender,
and her skin was velvety smooth,
and I’d wanted to bask in her loveliness
as she stirred neath the purplish moon.

But soon, the luminosity faded,
and her body grew cold and gray,
and I cried for never being able to tell her
all the things I’d wanted to say.

© 2022 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/window-wood-frame-fantasy-full-moon-4670739/

Beyond repair

There are some things
that can never be mended;
even as much as you try,
the result remains upended.

And I’ve learned it is better
to let sleeping dogs lay
than to stick around waiting
for the needle to sway.

There’s a balance to life
that just can’t be amended,
but sometimes these truths
are miscomprehended.

So I’m doing my best
to remember all these things
and trying not to fret
over things I cannot change.

© 2022 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/piano-rose-red-flower-love-571968/

Autumn anamnesis

As summer turns to fall,
I find I’m missing you.
Your face I can hardly recall,
yet still, I’m missing you.
And when summer at last returns,
I’ll be lost in all my usual concerns,
but once again missing you,
when that first leaf falls.

© 2021 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/maple-leaves-maple-leaves-autumn-690233/