where voices come from

You were not aware your voice could slur like that and harmonize with the bend of your neck. You had no idea that notebooks could smoke cigarettes even though you gave nicotine up more than a year ago but bergamot can easily be rubbed into the spine to eliminate the odor of addiction. You were unclear on the ways in which love could swing against you like a hammock built from bones and maps. No one ever told you that paper could be used as bandages, wrapped like gauze around the parts that have a difficult time healing. And instead of ointment, ink. And instead of sound, footnoted gasps explaining the music of this effusive way of living.