Contraction

con‧trac‧tion

con‧trac‧tion

1 [countable] medical a very strong and painful movement of a muscle, especially the muscles around the womb during birth

2 [uncountable] the process of becoming smaller or narrower:

the contraction of metal as it cools

3 [countable] a shorter form of a word or words:

‘Haven’t’ is a contraction of ‘have not’.

A long time after the womb,

The other things contract.

The disks of the spine, the space needed for living. The bed, the desk, a place to wash, a place for food.

Rooms once used become spare rooms.

Time too, grows smaller, grows shorter, measured out, never enough.

At last the nots contract, sticking to all the auxiliaries.

Haven’t. Doesn’t. Can’t.