The Surface That Holds
Poem - The Surface That Holds
After von Freyburg, the textile remembers what the body pressed against it. Not the shape - the pressure. The way a hand stayed longer than it needed to. The fabric holds the weight of the staying.
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what the family buried in it. Not the bones - the heat. The way the alligator's eye is the only thing that doesn't blink. The landscape holds the secret by being the secret.
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the house it was cut from. Not the rooms - the thresholds. The way the doorframe holds the space between inside and outside. The paper holds the home by being the home.
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the time it took to hold the shot. Not the image - the patience. The way the camera waits until the thing being shown reveals itself as just a thing. The frame holds the duration by refusing to cut.
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the path that was not laid out. Not the destination - the deviation. The way the feet chose the gap between the beads and the wire. The floor holds the desire by recording the movement.
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The surface does not contain. It holds. The difference is the weight of something pressed against it that could be lifted and leave no hollow.