This Connection of Everyone with Lungs by Juliana Spahr

poemwrittenafterseptember11/2001
     
    There are these things:
    cells, the movement of cells and the division of cells
    and then the general beating of circulation
    and hands, and body, and feet
    and skin that surrounds hands, body, feet.
    This is a shape,
    a shape of blood beating and cells dividing.
    But outside of this shape is space.
    There is space between the hands.
    There is space between the hands and space around the hands.
    There is space around the hands and space in the room.
    There is space in the room that surrounds the shapes of everyone’s hands and body and feet and cells and the beating contained within.
    There is space, an uneven space, made by this pattern of bodies.
    This space goes in and out of everyone’s bodies.
    Everyone with lungs breathes the space in and out as everyone with lungs breathes the space between the hands in and out
    as everyone with lungs breathes the space between the hands and the space around the hands in and out
    as everyone with lungs breathes the space between the hands and the space around the hands and the space of the room in and out
    as everyone with lungs breathes the space between the hands and the space around the hands and the space of the room and the space of the building that surrounds the room in and out
    as everyone with lungs breathes the space between the hands and the space around the hands and the space of the room and the space of the building that surrounds the room and the space of the neighborhoods nearby in and out
    as everyone with lungs breathes the space between the hands and the space around the hands and the space of the room and the space of the building that surrounds the room and the space of the neighborhoods nearby and the space of the cities in and out
    as everyone with lungs breathes the space between the hands and the space around the hands and the space of the room and the space of the building that surrounds the room and the space of the neighborhoods nearby and the space of the cities and the space of the regions in and out
    as everyone with lungs breathes the space between the hands and the space around the hands and the space of the room and the space of the building that surrounds the room and the space of the neighborhoods nearby and the space of the cities and the space of the regions and the space of the nations in and out
    as everyone with lungs breathes the space between the hands and the space around the hands and the space of the room and the space of the building that surrounds the room and the space of the neighborhoods nearby and the space of the cities and the space of the regions and the space of the nations and the space of the continents and islands in and out
    as everyone with lungs breathes the space between the hands and the space around the hands and the space of the room and the space of the building that surrounds the room and the space of the neighborhoods nearby and the space of the cities and the space of the regions and the space of the nations and the space of the continents and islands and the space of the oceans in and out
    as everyone with lungs breathes the space between the hands and the space around the hands and the space of the room and the space of the building that surrounds the room and the space of the neighborhoods nearby and the space of the cities and the space of the regions and the space of the nations and the space of the continents and islands and the space of the oceans and the space of the troposphere in and out
    as everyone with lungs breathes the space between the hands and the space around the hands and the space of the room and the space of the building that surrounds the room and the space of the neighborhoods nearby and the space of the cities and the space of the regions and the space of the nations and the space of the continents and islands and the space of the oceans and the space of the troposphere and the space of the stratosphere in and out
    as everyone with lungs breathes the