Buried

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I try to mask it
But it’s there
Buried deep
But not deep enough
Layers of days
And even years
Piling on top
Pushing it down
Trying to erase
The ugliness
The pain
The absurdity
All the lies
One small dagger
Could put an end
To all the misery
All that I feel
And yet even conviction
Of a self
I hardly know
Could right
All that’s wrong
But doubt stifles
My strength
Yielding both scenarios
Futile and foolish
So I continue
To suffer
In endless silence
Because I fail
To utilize
The power
I myself hold
To change
To make a difference
Even a slight one
But still…
If only I trusted
The outcome
If only I believed
In myself

© 2019 Michelle Cook

The Secret Key

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Sometimes you reach a point
Where you must let go
And that’s always hard
When you finally know

But then you just pray
That the hurt will go away
Hopeful that a friend
Will brighten your day

And it doesn’t always happen
But sometimes it does
And the reason doesn’t matter
It’s all just because

So you go on with life
As well as you can
Trusting that someday
You’ll understand

And even if you never do
You trust in the process
Trying to think positive
And not count your losses

And try as you may
You might never again feel whole
In fact you might just hide away
Like a reclusive little mole

But you realize life goes on
And you can’t just feel down
You know you don’t want your smile
To turn into a permanent frown

So you drag yourself to your feet
And you give it all another go
And you tell yourself
That this isn’t all for show

And you trust that you’ll overcome
For you cannot fail
Because you make your mind up
That you will prevail

Because that’s what a strong person does
And they’re the ones who always survive
They hold the key to the greatest secret
The one about being happy just for being alive

And if each of us can grasp this
And find that secret key
We can all be happy
Full of life and living carefree

© 2018 Michelle Cook

Anchored avenues

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I thought those avenues
Were sound and secure
You had me believing
And damn I was sure

But only a fool believes
In things they can’t actually see
And now I know exactly
What you did to me

Those anchored avenues
Were apparently all for show
The truth came out
And so I let you go

People always ask me
If regrets still exist
But how can a broken heart
Even want to persist

The absence of you
Has only made me stronger
And I’ll never regret
Not wanting you any longer

© 2018 Michelle Cook


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