from STILL-TONGUE
by Rina Shamilov
the stars weep
i attach the verb to my lip
i become verbed in echo
i become fractured like light,
fractured like cranium –
my tight shell sings
the echo is a leaf falling
the echo scratches the pavement w/
its silent ribs
the echo dilutes to echo: becomes molecule
i am echo of memory,
atom of time
unfiltered ghost,
tug loose the shadow
of my naked-pink spleen,
your flame-blue lips stretch
into mine – stitched
to skin; warm hyacinth:
my gestures itch
beneath your contourless
flesh // all still,
like wax