Rod E Kok

Rod E Kok Feb 2015

Grounded

We flew together,
soaring higher than
our dreams ever took us.

Hand in hand
we rode warm currents,
watching earth slowly
getting smaller.

An eagle followed us,
screaming displeasure
at our intrusion
in his lofty kingdom.

Laughter echoed
between majestic clouds,
love carried us
along this magnificent journey.

We took flight,
holding each other
tight.

And though it seemed
like we were flying,
we always remained
grounded.

#love #flying #spilledink #lovepoem #lovepoetry #amwriting #spilledwords

Rod E Kok Dec 2014

Melancholic Colors

I don't live in
a black and white world,
but there are days in which
my pallette is ******* up.

Love and passion
are no longer red,
but hues of grey
fill my soul.

Blues are no longer
beautiful,
but are muted versions
of angry self-loathing.

Nature is not reflected
in pastels,
but my mirror is broken,
for no light exists
in the shadow it creates.

If I truly cared to believe
that the grass is greener,
I could learn to look past
all the melancholic colors.

#depression #melancholy #spilledink #amwriting #spilledpoetry

Rod E Kok Nov 2014

My Mask

I wear a mask
so nobody will see
what lies behind
my eyes.

I live in a semblance of
normality,
but reality plays tricks,
pretence is the lie I live.

My ever changing facade
reveals what I want the world
to see
to understand.

But it’s not me.

Precious few know me,
or see me in all my
weakness,
because I hide
that which would frighten.

It’s easier to exist
in a world where expectations
are met,
and I can be the man
they want me to be.

So here I am.
I look just like you.
Just please don’t try
to remove my mask.

#poetry #depression #mask #amwriting

Rod E Kok Nov 2014

Abandoned No More

A torrent of musical notes
carried me along a wayward path,
dark and sombre, it was a dirge...
funereal in its essence, a haunting chant
painted black slashes across
my page.

I cried for support, for help...
a prayer to a God I thought
had abandoned me.

Never am I free from falling,
my ears still hear grim melodies
that have an unforgiving harmony.
My feet stand on the precipice,
my eyes looking into the chasm.

Yet through the cold silence of despair,
a warming embrace takes in my heart,
soothing whispers clothe my naked soul.
I am not alone.

For now I see that trail which leads me
through the valley.
My confidence is renewed,
faith is gifted out of grace,
and I am taught to trust
in my God, for he alone
will never abandon me.

Hello dear reader. This poem is the first one I've put on my website since #OctPoWriMo ended. I have written a couple poems, but I am saving them for the book I am planning to put out in the near future. I wrote this poem fairly quickly, as it seemed to flow into what you'll read below. It in no way reflects my state of mind at this present time, although I draw on experience to convey the message. I hope you enjoy my first offering of this month.

Rod E. Kok
November 13, 2014

#depression #anxiety #faith #christian

Rod E Kok Oct 2014

It is Finished

It is finished.

A journey of sharing
is over.
I do not know how
to deal with this.

From the excitement of early morn,
being prompted to write,
to the wonderment of late evening,
seeing how many actually read
my work.

It is finished.

A truly heady experience,
emotions ran rampant
for 31 days.

I gave you my heart
on a readable platter,
my soul was visible
to all who cared to see it.

It is finished.

Never have I written
so much poetry,
rarely have I had
such a feeling of
accomplishment.

I am a blessed man
to have met
so many
great poets,
great writers
better people.

It is finished.

Time to breathe,
time to relax.
For in the big scheme of things,
it has just begun.

Dear reader, it is a bittersweet day. Today marks the end of #OctPoWriMo. I can honestly say that I am a bit sad about this. Every day for the past 31 days, I have written a poem based on a prompt from one of our wonderful organizers. Every day I have pushed myself. Somedays it came easy, some days I struggled mightily. But, I did it. And I am proud of it. I probably wrote close to 40 poems in the past 31 days. Knowing what I have done serves as motivation for what I need to do...I need to write. It's in my blood.

Thank you to the organizers and prompters for taking us on this fantastic journey of poetry. Julie, Morgan, Amy and Tamara...thank you. If I missed one someone, I apologize and offer you a special thank you as well.

Thank you to all the poets who contributed their poetry. Reading your work gave me so much inspiration. I have made new friends, and for that I am grateful. Also thank you to all those who read my work. I am humbled that little ol' me could write something that so many enjoyed. I hope our journey together doesn't end here.

And that, dear reader, brings us to my final poem of #OctPoWriMo2014. As the tears fall from my eyes, and as my heart beats a little bit faster, let me say that it is finished.

Rod E. Kok
October 31, 2014

#poetry #amwriting #octpowrimo

Rod E Kok Oct 2014

The Day Before

The day before you agreed to marry me
we were confident that our life would be grand
how little we knew about what was to be

The day before our world crashed we had not planned
for things to go wrong with our new baby bump
but we felt grace delivered through our Lord’s hand.

The day before your doctor confirmed the lump
we still saw our future as sunny and bright
nothing has changed, we’ve made it over this ****

Through 20 years, we have never lost our sight
we are not alone, and all things turn out right.

Hello dear reader. Today I stepped way outside my comfort zone. Way outside. I chose to take today's prompt and write a Terza Rima. This form is a poem with an eleven syllable count in each line and a rhyming scheme of aba, bcb, cdc, dd. Talk about a huge challenge! My fingers were kept busy as I counted, and my mind was going nuts trying to make sure everything followed the rhyming scheme.
And so, here is my poem, based on the theme 'On the day before...'. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Rod E. Kok
October 30, 2014

Rod E Kok Oct 2014

Passing Years

The years are passing by.

Without fail, we watch
a timeless passage into
tomorrow.

Daily I pray for
our love to remain
strong.

Without fail, we make
mistakes, causing hurt
grief
sorrow.

We forgive.
We forget.

Time moves on,
and we grow
together.
Passion does not fade,
our own brand of romance
keeps our hearts warm.

Without fail, I realize
the truth.
If not for you,
there is no me.

All that I am
is for you,
because of you.

The years are passing by,
and we are watching
their passage.

Hand in hand,
in love.
Together forever.

Good morning, dear reader. The prompt for day 29 of #OctPoWriMo is love and relationships. We were given a pretty broad field to play in, and I chose the one that comes naturally to me. My poem today is for my dear wife, my best friend. The line in this poem that is my favorite is 'If not for you, there is no me'. What is your favorite?

Rod E. Kok
October 29, 2014

#love #time #relationship #amwriting #octpowrimo