I ran my hands over the dress
Clinging to skin over flesh
Flesh over bone
Bone over marrow
Felt them all
Till my finger stopped
Something was grazing against the linen
Maybe caressing it
I plucked it out
A bud
Grey like age
It doddered
Then on the tip of thumb
The round loose body swayed
Slowly
With every breath of mine
It whirled
Faster faster faster
Holding it against the dark
It seemed like the shadow of light
A cloud over the desert
How did it get its colour?
It must have tumbled along with others
And stayed
To make me pause on my way
From garment
To skin
To flesh
To bone
To marrow
Lint
~FV
