A Conversation of Sorts
It sits there motionless smaller
than you ever imagined inside
the disturbing shell of a house
where the old woman burns images
of her descendants overweight
and bedsore her face puffed
with apparent allergies she drinks
her dark beer from an ancient mug
a pale light filtering in from
the undersized window the odor
of animals penetrating through
the open door cows need milking
again they smell strongly of curds
and suffering this evening soon
the sun will set over the empty
fields and the old woman will
babble her meaningless phrases
and it will answer her as well as it is
able -- lacking the facility of speech.
Paul Ilechko is British American poet and occasional songwriter who lives with his partner in Lambertville, NJ. His work has appeared in many journals, including The Night Heron Barks, Tampa Review, Iron Horse Literary Review, Stirring and The Inflectionist Review. He has also published several chapbooks.