we lay flat

we lay flat
so the words can find their way
through our skeletons,
telling us
how much we mattered when
we were full of flesh and
without sunken eyes,
without empty chests,
waiting for breathing to
build us up and keep us
confident, not
leaking oxygen
trying to
capture thoughts
we don’t even know the
origin of—no, we
lay flat
so the words can
find their way
through our
skeletons,
telling us
how much
we mattered when
we were
full of flesh,
when life felt
inevitable,
not something
we grew tired of chasing.