*This poem was published in the 2011 issue of Rock Paper Scissors. The poem was inspired by David Ignatow’s “Rescue the Dead.”



Choosing Not to Love

To love is to walk in the cold

north wind without a coat,

to trust the resilience of skin

naked and reddened, to pretend

it is fur or fish scales or armor.

It is to walk in the streets at night

hands and body open, eyes

looking up. It is to follow

the stranger down the unknown

path with only bright oranges

in your pockets.



Not to love is to have furniture

and locks, a heavy ring of keys,

a savings account, a series of routines

and hasty signatures, brief

moments of silence. It is to stare at

the beautiful stranger in the cereal

aisle, to notice his naked

finger, until his eyes raise, see

you considering an alternative, then

your quick denial—a turned head

and hands in pockets full of lint.

Poet

Choosing not to Love
Freezing at the Ice Palace in St. Paul, Minnesota