Anti-Love Poem — by Grace Paley

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 insultsteal sadness of not wanting
to loveturn away then turn awayat breakfast
in the evening don't lift your eyes from the paper
to see that face in all its seriousness a
sweetness of concentrationhe holds his book
in his handthe hard-knuckled winter wood-
scarred fingersturn awaythat's all you can
do old as you are to save yourself from love