Gentleness

In the Danish dictionary, the adjective nænsom (gentle) and the noun nænsomhed (gentleness) are suspended between the verb nænne (something you cannot bear to do) and the adverb næppe (hardly). Nænsom’s tenderness sits there on the page, flanked by unease and negation. The three words form a structure. A tough-tender space on the white paper. A kind of tactile timeline. Nænsomhed entangled with its before and after. I feel the urge to rearrange the parts of speech. I want to turn gentleness into a verb. A verb is a tool—a word that does something in the world. To gentle. Is it possible to build a house with this word in hand?