Anger

There are stars locked inside her head
at times their light shines through
the darkness of her eyes
                                          she is becoming
the storm caught in the instant between
lightning and thunder

                                       the birds in her
trees have fallen silent in the face of
my anger
                   even the owls are silent
I mimic their unbeating wings wrap them
around my own eyes

                                      blinded by weakness
my tongue is on fire today candle wax
dripping down my chin
                                         in the photograph
she made I appear to be a silhouette
my bones as brittle as ash trees in winter.

Paul Ilechko is a British/American poet. Born in South Yorkshire, he now lives with his partner in Lambertville, NJ. His work has appeared in a variety of journals, including The Night Heron Barks, Louisiana Literature, Iron Horse Literary Review, Clackamas Literary Review, and Book of Matches. His first album, "Meeting Points", was released in 2021.