Category: Poetry

Autumn’s Grove: A poem by Mike Cole

He watched the leaves turn and he found his grove

He lit a fire and watched it grow.

As the leaves fluttered, the wind bit.

So it blew as it did and darkness came.

And yet he had that little light, which held on oh so bright.

So when the trees began to sway, he closed his eyes gently…

Saying goodbye to the day.

This poem was the winner for the end of poetry month. Of my drafted poems this one is the most sound. Mentally, I’ve taken a nosedive the last couple months and this poem is a reflection of that. It represents my personal struggle trying to keep what little light I have left from going out. It is a poem about the unchangeable and of gentle rest that might come from the unexpected. Where in one instance one might fear the wind blowing out the fire in another instance it can also soothe and calm; it can be both of these things at the same time. Autumn is my season and where I find the most comfort and where I long to go. There is a sense of wandering where and only once the leaves have turned after a long journey may one find their peace.

And that’s it! May is Mental Health Awareness Month! I have a few articles planned so stay tuned in the coming weeks for what’s ahead!

Suffocating: A Poem by Mike Cole

I took a breath to feel if I was alive

My life was mine to survive

It would easy to make this rhyme, all the way through.

But life is imperfect, just like you.

A broken smile, a glance at the wall.

You stand and yet you fall.

Where is your glory, where is your name.

What is to happen, when you play this game.

Tomorrow shines a new dawn,

And come tomorrow you’ll be gone.

So it is once again national poetry month and I’m ready. As I have done for a few years now, this is where I go through my poetry and analyze it myself. What I write and why I wrote it. This year, I am fairly exhausted as I execute my big plans. With poetry, a lot of it is a reflection into the soul. These next couple months are mostly about survival. Whatever it takes to get where I need to be. The first couplet reflects this. Often I like to make imperfect rhymes to reflect broken poems, this time however, I didn’t. It is simply a series of couplets with matching rhymes throughout. The poem itself is a reflection of dreams and how life doesn’t meet expectations. And with the last couplet, I reference leaving it all behind. It’s a line that’s hopeful yet cautious. While some of my poetry is a mix between life and fantasy, this poem follows more closely to where I am currently at. Leaving my hometown is in reach but getting there has taken many years of planning. It will require paying my debts and venturing deep into uncharted territory, a scary prospect for any soul, so the name is accurate. It feels like I’m out of breath as I make cash, plan housing, work on my skillset, and ultimately, a new life.

And… That’s it! That’s the poem and some of the logic that went into writing it. This national poetry month is about to ramp up. Get ready for a few more poems and a month of celebrating the art. As always, thanks for reading!

Dad: A poem by Mike Cole

I hope you’re proud of all that I’ve done

It hasn’t been easy, this road that I’m on

And I keep walking, hoping the snow will clear

A ship without a sail, no rudder to steer

It’s been two years since you’ve been gone and that’s not a lot of time

Yet I persevere in the new winds and know you guide me to calmer shores.

To wrap up National Poetry Month, I wanted to close with a poem about my dad. I did this last year and it only seems fitting that I do it again this year. For those that don’t know, he passed away in October 2019. I haven’t talked about it much since his death and poetry to me has always been a form of expression, a way to put to words topics that have been too difficult to talk about. As we head into Mental Health Awareness Month, I want to open up more and talk about his death as I think it’ll help heal the soul.

My father was a sailor for my entire life so with poems about him I want to capture that essence. There’s a lot I could have learned about sailing from him but it’s only been since his passing that I’ve found interest in it. Writing about it is a way to feel close to what has been lost.

That’s it! National Poetry Month is officially over (on this blog). We covered Nature, Love, and Lost this month. The Month of May is dedicated to Mental Health. The articles have been drafted and I’m adding the finishing touches. It’ll be a range of topics and I think I’ve struck a good balance for next month. See you then!

Bright as Day: a poem by Mike Cole

You are as bright as day

Like a Morning Glory I rise and bathe in the light

Only to die in the night.

You make me smile,

And it’s been a while.

Like an Aster I hold my bloom,

knowing love is ever fleeting.

And my heart skips a beat, every time we meet.

Everyday is new and the sky is blue.

National Poetry Month! This is the second poem of the month and it is a love poem. It’s been a while and I needed to write something uplifting. This poem is greatly inspired by my birth month with the integration of the flowers of September. The poem itself has no rhyme or reason, much like love. With free verse I love to mix and match styles. ‘Knowing love is ever fleeting’, ‘And my heart skips a beat, every time we meet’. I decided not to match the rhyme. In a perfect world, fleeting would match to meeting or fleet to meet; I like the imperfection, as the rhyme is still there, it just sits on the tongue a moment longer as your brain processes the discrepancy. ‘Everyday is new and the sky is blue’. In most poems, this would cover two lines. Since the line itself was only a few words, I thought it had more flow as one line. ‘You are bright as day’ matches the imperfect rhythm of the poem itself. Day has no matching rhyme yet is carried forward by the imagery created by lines two and three. Day relates to light and contrasts with night. “Like an Aster I hold my bloom’. This describes a longing and Asters represent love, wisdom, and faith. The line is saying to hold faith.

And that’s it! Hope everyone is enjoying National Poetry Month as much as I enjoy writing poetry. There will be one more poem this month and then in May we will delve into mental health awareness month!

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