Loneliness

Loneliness
it comes in many forms
and I have known them all.
But I think the loneliest times
are when I’m surrounded
by a sea of expressionless faces.
Those empty-eyed, silent beings
always appear to be lost in
mind-numbing, alien-sweeping,
brain-snatching activity.
And if I stare intently enough,
focusing long and hard enough,
I can almost see those denatured
souls being surreptitiously sucked
out of every finger-tapping mortal
who has unknowingly fallen victim
to the technological advances
of our times.
It often leaves me queasy
and fearfully uneasy.
For I must admit that I too,
have fallen subject to the
interest of self-isolation
within the matrix.
Using it as a security blanket
for companionship
because community
no longer exists
within the confines
of my existence.
There are instances
when I do attempt
to turn the world around.
And with desperate breath
I try to disengage
from the illuminated rectangle
nestled nice and neat
between my pale palms.
But then loneliness sneaks in,
finding me once again.
And the screen in my hands
becomes the only life left
to be found.

© 2021 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/portrait-woman-black-and-white-2308893/

Believing in the pretends

We pretended we didn’t know each other.
Then we pretended we didn’t like each other.
And because we pretended for so long,
I think I started believing in the pretends.

© 2021 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/away-meadow-concrete-hiking-trail-5244481/

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/

Burying yesterdays

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

The heart of who I am

Another day dims
but the light of your love
radiates brighter than ever.
In this worn out, weary world
you’re the one constant,
the heart of who I am.
You’re my shimmering star,
the everlasting one
whom I continue to follow.
Even when darkness
overtakes me,
nobody, not one
can change my mind.
For you live within me,
you’re the breath of my soul,
the very reason I shine.
I love you completely,
and I will trust you with my life
because you gave me yours.

© 2021 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/woman-person-sunset-dreams-alone-491623/