17 Michelangelo To Tatiana
When stones have made the deeper scratches
Upon his body
And across his face --
No longer soft,
He gives them back the scrapes
And lays his face down in the pavement.
He sees not only in the mirrors
That people step upon
His stony face,
But can't erase it -- cannot get away
From his relief of joy
And fear.
When I do step upon
His scratches,
He always gives me back
The deeper scrape
And stays beneath to mirror me my pain --
To make me stone
Beyond my aging.
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