permanent

she seemed to just
fall
into music,

notes touching
her fingers like

after

thoughts.

i opened
the tiny cabinet
of her chest

and found a
joseph cornell
arrangement
of peculiar objects

sitting
beneath
the skin.

instruments
for recording
the sound a

memory makes

when it
fades away.

gadgets
for amplifying
the hum of

brain waves

whenever they think about

sex,
or death,
or the impossible.