Paul Ilechko

AVOIDANT

Avoidant
is a state of being
that I would never choose
but merely exist within

you counter me
with anxiousness
or therapy

before us the dirt-tracked field
leaching into soy
or chicory
the thrusting stalks of corn

before us the winding humpbacked road
silver star gray
and pebble-dashed

lineless within an imaginary grid
forced into closeness
holding tight to our composure

ahead the implausible village
beyond that light
a ruby consecration
exploding into peach

as we turn towards darkness
and a life that must exist
beyond the shadows.