on the correct handling of ghosts
plenty has been written about the handling of bodies- how to correctly dispose, sex, & even ‘have’ a body (looking at u, habeas corpus). a ghost, however, slips past all handles and hands.
when you face a ghost, an entire subjectivity stares back at you- the right thing to do would depend entirely on which specific ghost decided to pay you a visit. but confronted by the impossibility of touching her, we act out our helplessness. so here's what we can remember.
ghosts aren't scary. which is not to say they’re harmless, but their ability to have any physical consequence on the world is entirely dependent on how you understand them & how you choose to let them move you.
ghosts may not always have something to say. sometimes they just stick around because the company is nice. & if that's hard to believe, consider that's all they want you to know.
ghosts are also insecure. they do all the things insecure people do. they say things they don't mean, they deflect, they disappear. as the one with a functioning nervous system, try to keep sight of both your intentions.
ghosts are not friends. your friends are sitting around you. or writing you a substack.
the ghost is IN the machine. the same rules apply. this is a still a moment in time.
even the ghost really needs a life of it's own. to mind it's own business.
a ghost, in a sense, is the threat of someone's death. an apparition of life, without. an apparition without life. & when the threat manifests, life is without. life is.
i stutter.
life is. i stutter.
yeah. if you're looking for me in the shadows, you're more likely to find it while writing me a letter.
i go by it/its now, gn.