Syllables In a painful memory

how many syllables are in a painful memory?

it seemed to me that just a few,

but they are repeating

breath by breath,

drop by drop,

cursing my ears

into deafening drums,

chiseling my shoulders

into rounder boards,

bending my spine

into a lower posture,

until I turn

into a big “oh”

with the forehead

into the wet dirt.