ANTI-LOVE POEM

Sometimes you don’t want to love the person you love

you turn your face away from that face

whose eyes lips might make you give up anger

forget insult    steal sadness of not wanting

to love    turn away then turn away    at breakfast

in the evening    don’t lift your eyes from the paper

to see that face in all its seriousness    a

sweetness of concentration    he holds his book

in his hand    the hard-knuckled winter wood-

scarred fingers    turn away    that’s all you can

do    old as you are to save yourself    from love