Darla

Barely escaping the shrouds of darkness, Darla suddenly found herself in the middle of a vast hangar. A monstrous beast hovered above her, one of many held fast by large steel cables anchored to an invisible ceiling. Standing in sheer awe and bewildered by the presence of this battle-ready fleet, she looked across at the dimly lit caverns she’d just escaped from. Unsure of where to go, she began walking along the indoor tarmac, watching as the looming monstrosities above her were periodically lowered to the ground. Once settled into place, the engines began to whir, and the fully powered beasts were so incredibly loud that the vibrations went straight through Darla, rattling her teeth. She wasn’t sure how long she could remain there before being spotted by a Detainer. After looking around for a hiding place, she noticed a large corridor leading to another hangar. Peeking inside, she realized just how vast this place was. Beyond the corridor she was standing in, there appeared to be countless corridors leading to endless hangars. Each area looked exactly like the one where she was presently standing. As immense as the place was, though, there didn’t seem to be any signs of anyone else like her. Everything appeared to be under the operation of robotics. And the hum of the mechanicals at work was almost a pleasant refrain from the blood-curdling cries she’d witnessed just a few hours before. With the war barely begun, she knew this was just the precipice of what was to come. Fearing she’d never again see the one person who meant the world to her, she waited earnestly for any sign of his presence. Wispy black strands of hair whipped across her ivory skin as more engines roared to life. Forlorn and fearful, her face creased with worry, she shivered at the sight of what her world had become.

Continued here

© 2024 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://afterwards.blog

Writing challenge: https://afterwards.blog/2024/01/08/afterwards-writing-prompt-1-monday-8th-of-january-darla-sci-fi/

Wrinkle Road

It all began
on wrinkle road
a story so profound
it must be told

But who am I
to expose the truth
and knowing the world
they’ll just want proof

So back n forth I go
holding my tongue
with sweaty hands
ready to be wrung

Juicy details
begging to burst
but I’m just me
and my lips are pursed

Looking around
no soul to tell
helps quiet my mind
and the images quell

So I’ll save my story
for another day
too good to tell
anyway

© 2023 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/wrinkled-old-faded-paper-past-470799/

*On my recent adventure to visit my family, I encountered a road named Wrinkle Rd. I was driving about in the middle of nowhere when I saw the road, and the name just sort of stuck with me for the rest of the day. So after much deliberation, I finally decided to challenge myself to write about it. But too many thoughts were racing through my head as I pondered such a place, and in the end, it seemed like a place of unlimited possibilities. So I leave it up to you, dear reader, to decide what profound things may happen on Wrinkle Rd. Maybe you can even write your own story or poem about what you think goes on there. ~M xo

Do you ever send whispers on the wind?

Do you ever try to send whispers on the wind,
and if you do, what do you say?
Are your murmurs pleasant and cheery,
or do they come out more cold and gray?

What if everyone sent messages on the wind;
do you think we’d all feel more heard?
Imagine a chance to say all you want
and never be deferred.

I often wonder if our soft soliloquies
do sometimes make it to their intended;
to be able to pour out our hearts without reproach
seems like it would be quite splendid.

Confrontation can be so intimidating;
I often wish others could just feel my words.
Spoken sentimentalities drifting on the wind,
is it really all that absurd?

© 2022 Michelle Cook

The key

Here waiting
by this old rusty door,
the key to my future
and all its splendor.

Walking through the door,
a brilliant light floods my path;
darkness dissipates behind me
as I make a mad dash.

Finally, free of all
I’ve ever known and endured,
your outstretched hand in front of me,
so gentle and concerned.

At long last, finding the place
where I belong,
wrapped in a love so tender
and yet so strong.

Your embrace whisking me
away from this world,
the depths of our desires
at last unfurled.

© 2022 Michelle Cook


Writing prompt: Here waiting by the door

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/heart-castle-love-symbol-romantic-603214/

Wonder and wild

We get ourselves up,
and the magic begins;
stretching for miles,
inspiration spins.

Winding its way
from shore to shore,
sorcery floods pages
with creativity galore.

None can get enough,
so we suck it all in,
not a single word
goes in the bin.

Ideas flow freely,
our pages complete;
every word written
a mesmerizing treat.

Images spill out
on thirsty pages;
hungrily, we feed
as momentum rages.

The mind a playground,
every heart, a child;
the results of a writer
full of wonder and wild.

© 2022 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/child-forest-lights-magic-7035625/