sonnet as memento mori
by Paul Ilechko
The view is not great from under the soil
roots piercing the opaque orbs of rotten eyeballs
tissues flaking back into the ochre sludge
of original sin the river having leached
into granite bedrock having hollowed out
its caverns a kind of splendor not available
for those of us with earth forced into our nostrils
our throats jammed full of eggs that surely must
hatch before we get too cold our skulls
as you imagine are never as naked as those
that shine with reflected light in an ancient
masterpiece embedded in chiaroscuro
surrounded by the softly glowing flesh of peaches
angels watching us with their terrible smiles.
Paul Ilechko (he/him) is a British/American poet. Born in South Yorkshire, he now lives with his partner in Lambertville, NJ. He is also a songwriter, and his first album, "Meeting Points", was released in 2021. He makes his living from working in the computer security field, and loves to ride his bike for long distances.