Beguiled to wait

Another night
Another dream
Each one drifting
On a moonlit beam

Some were loving
Some were kind
Some were fashioned
To entice his mind

The days were short
The nights stretched long
Their appetites swelled
Unsatisfyingly strong

Daydreams came
And daydreams went
None could capture
Her intoxicating scent

Wondrous words
Wound their way
Over mountains and oceans
Resolved to stay

Years slipped by
As time stood still
Each day brimming
With vigor and thrill

Still, answers lingered
At the bottom of the sea
Forever just beyond
The lovers’ pleas

Exhausted, they yielded
To the pull of fate
Lost on a zephyr
Beguiled to wait

© 2026 Michelle Cook


Photo generated with AI

It took time, but it was all they needed

A pot of tea
steeping slow
allowed the conversation
to drift, then flow

A trembling hand
a splatter of cream
all witnessed beneath
a summer sunbeam

Starting with a look
a blooming glance
the wind stirred
in the sight of romance

Blushing boughs offered
a chance alone
doing all the things
some would never condone

With the wide old oak
shielding their play
prying eyes
slowly crept away

Rousing smiles rendered
a half giggle or two
as heartstrings seized
love anew

© 2025 Michelle Cook


Photo generated with AI

The end of an era

We have but one journey,
and the path is never straight.

We think we have lots of time,
but like sand, it can’t be held.

We learn after the goal is complete
that the end is really the beginning.

We realize all of our joyous moments
have been happening all along.

We discover that the journey
was never about reaching our destination.

We notice all the people we’ve met
were never there to stay.

We feel bittersweet and unsettled
by all the things we’ve accomplished.

We are grateful for the sunset
reminding us to live in the here and now.

© 2025 Michelle Cook


Photo generated with AI

Soar

A dandelion seed
That’s what you are
Neither here nor there
Gliding gleefully
Flying ever so high
The current as your companion

Floating on the sea of life
I see you there and I’m smiling
As the sun shines upon your face
Listening to the birdsong of tranquility
Holding steadfast to the feather of peace
As the waves of contentment wash over your beautiful soul

Happiness abides within you
Carrying you to the ends of the earth
A heart so full of blissful wonder
A head so unaware of the passing of time
All the things that really matter
You’ve found them
Now hold on tight

© 2025 Michelle Cook


Photo generated with AI

Presumptuous

Some will march in spewing insincerity
Still others will tiptoe in without pretense
Both are after the same things
Both are cruel and unkind
Manipulation comes in many forms
I am sure I have not seen all the ways
But I am sure of it when I see it
This will not be my future
I have never been blind to the truth

© 2024 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/manipulation-old-city-of-dubai-dubai-4412444/