Haiku 5
spring sunlight filters
through heavenly green ceiling
my daydreams catch up

Sonnet 4
In the Field
Look at my yard, see all the weeds;
it takes no time at all for them to grow.
Surprising because I sowed no seeds—
’tis aggravating! I don’t want to mow!
But look, sprinkled in, the yellow and pink
blooms well loved by butterfly and bee.
They stop awhile to get a quick drink;
it’d be a shame to deny them their glee.
I’ll put off the chore until tomorrow,
and instead join the insects in the field.
Forget the weeds, the troubles and sorrow;
when I look at the flowers my soul is healed.
Seldom ever is there a field of waste—
Beauty will grow in the same place.

Sonnet 3
Healing Night
Night falls over my little home
and stars poke out from the sky.
Clouds cover moon with gentle foam;
traffic silenced, I hear the treefrog cry.
Peace is what I seek this night—
I want quiet, just a little break.
Warm velvet replaces spotlight:
comforts, soothes, relieves the ache.
In spring it is easy to find peace
in the warm, calm hours of eventide.
Look beyond the flowers and trees
to the stars and moon in the sky outside.
Let go of the fears and unease you feel;
allow your heart-deep cracks to heal.

Today is my birthday, so I wrote a poem. It’s still pretty rough, and it’s actually two poems since I’m still doing the sonnet-from-a-haiku thing. Anyway, here it is along with the photo I took that inspired it.
Misty morn in spring
Sidewalk stretches steadily
I’m caught in happy
Sidewalk Stroll on my birthday
By Michelle Garren-Flye
Today, the day I turn fifty-something,
I see the sidewalk stretch ahead,
a true flower path on this day in spring,
warmth after the winter we suffered.
I salute the sun, bathe in the breeze,
meander about in midnight moonlight;
happy to live for a moment at ease
with nothing to mourn, no one to fight.
Grateful for all that gives my life spice
because living too easy just makes you fat.
For true happiness, you must pay a price
and sometimes it will knock you down flat.
Today, I know I’ll follow my sidewalk to the end;
I’ll round every corner, never hesitate at a bend.

Photo and poem copyright 2025 Michelle Garren-Flye
My mother, Geraldine “Gerry” Garren, 84, passed away two years ago on this day. I wrote this for her, but it was also inspired by others I know who are suffering. This month has been a cruel one for many.
I hope this will give someone hope, because I truly believe that if you love someone and they love you, death does not take that love. I don’t think it can.
This poem is my theory of what happens to that love…and why it makes your heart ache.
What Happens to the Love?
By Michelle Garren-Flye
Losing you left all the edges:
your love moved into my heart…
god it hurts when it stretches.
Indelible, your love stresses;
oh, can I bear this part?
Losing you left me with edges.
Death can’t claim successes,
so love moves in with art,
causes aches as it stretches.
Accept the way it presses
and tears your chest apart;
losing someone leaves edges.
Patience, time progresses
and lightens what once was hard.
Just breathe as the heart stretches.
Grief is the way love compresses
your love and mine as one in my heart.
Yes, it hurts when it stretches,
and sometimes I still feel the edges.

Happy Valentine’s Day! (with respect to M.C. Hammer)
Can’t Touch
By Michelle Garren-Flye
Nothing ever really touches
so you can’t touch my heart.
No matter how the blood rushes,
I’m untouchable from the start.
Tis just the repulsion of electrons
that you feel upon your hand.
That’s what fires up your neurons;
it’s nothing like love so grand.
No atom will share its ground
no matter how you may sigh.
To laws of physics we are bound;
can’t escape! Give up, don’t try.
Nothing ever really touches
no matter how the blood rushes.
