Sonnet as Honey for Moths
Paul Ilechko
Silence inside of a house has a qualitative difference
compared to the thing we call silence in the remote
countryside but in both places what we really
mean is the absence of any human originated sound
the whisper of someone changing a shirt the hum
of a refrigerator the abrupt snap of twigs
in the underbrush all are lumped into the same
omission the role of the poet then is to
interrupt silence but in the most sympathetic way
in the most inevitable but least predictable way
and just as a photographer will steal the souls of
his images the poet silently collects the souls
of all who truly hear her words and uses them
as a barricade against the encroaching darkness.
Poet and songwriter Paul Ilechko lives with his partner in Lambertville, NJ. He is the author of several chapbooks. 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.