Felino Soriano Tribute

amid this age’s injured effort. In
this flesh is removal of walls, an unabridged summation
Healing
As if this morning was the shadow of a new body
alteration, with grace and prose your mouth explains
the change was startling
—the listener: uninterested: their own awakening: a
memorized bridge in making pivot golden, away from night
and from the tongue’s internal aching—
you interpret listening in
how the stone translates ground: a place to rest and heal
the feet
of all momentary movement.
Song to the Self
When young you
would bruise to escape the clarity of
comfortable skin. Your mother would
reject her tongue
to remove evidence
of questioning why. This did not disturb you:
your face provided
erased prose to unfasten meaning
of the escalated pain drawing your
eyes the color of evaporating crows.