no such thing

as atoms of meaning

a word is not an atom
neither is a letter

single words or concepts
by themselves don't even exist

like electrons, they're just fields
of probability or potential

for example, I say “one”

and we picture maybe a numeral
or a singular thing like a shoe
underneath the bed without its mate

but the numeral or shoe just floats in air
out of reach, mute, expecting something

but when I put “some” in front of the “one”
to get “someone”, you find the “some"

and “one” a little harder now, each pressing
delicately earthward against your palm

(but only in a backward glance

“I didn’t know
myself until I met you”)

now it’s “someone” that floats out of reach
expecting something

“some” and “one” each weigh as parts
of “someone” but the “someone”
itself – vapor at best